Milos Raonic has overcome his frustrations to outlast Sam Querrey and advance to the BNP Paribas Open semi-finals with a 7-5 2-6 6-3 victory.
Clearly unhappy at times with his play on Friday, the Canadian won the final three games of the third set to return to the Indian Wells semis for the third time in four years.
Raonic, 2016 Wimbledon runner-up, broke American Querrey for a 5-3 advantage then salvaged a tense final game in which Querrey had three break points.
The Canadian will next face Argentine Juan Martin del Potro, who beat Philipp Kohlschreiber 3-6 6-3 6-4 in Friday's second quarter-final.
World No.1 Roger Federer will meet Borna Coric in the other semi-final on Saturday.
After a slow start to his season following a calf injury last year, Raonic prevailed by serving and volleying and attacking the net against Querrey, who was playing in his first Masters 1000 quarter-final.
The Canadian won 17 of the first set's final 21 points, including two breaks of serve, to take the set after Querrey had led 5-4.
The American broke twice in the second set before Raonic came through in the third.
"Sometimes they (his emotions) have taken me for a ride, they have cost me matches, but I have also been cost matches by holding it in," Raonic said.
"So sometimes it is good to get them out and try to express energy in the right way,"
Although he fired 17 aces and won 74 per cent of his first-service points, the Canadian admitted he needed to improve.
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