Almaty: James Duckworth’s improbable run at the Almaty Open showed no signs of slowing on Friday, as the Australian qualifier stunned third seed Flavio Cobolli 6-3, 6-2 to reach his first ATP semifinal in nearly three years. Duckworth, 33, ranked outside the world’s top 100, has been the revelation of the week in Kazakhstan, carving through a draw stacked with higher-ranked opponents. Two days after ousting seventh seed Gabriel Diallo in a gruelling three-set encounter, he backed it up with a near-flawless performance against Cobolli.

According to Namibia Press Agency, Cobolli, who had dropped just seven games in his first two matches, looked increasingly unsettled as Duckworth held serve with ease and repeatedly found winners off short balls. The Australian broke twice in the first set and again early in the second, never allowing Cobolli a foothold. He finished with 10 aces, won 84 percent of first-serve points, and did not face a single break point.

Duckworth’s victory sets up a semifinal showdown with top seed Daniil Medvedev, who continued his steady march through the field with a 7-5, 6-2 win over Hungary’s Fabian Marozsan. The world No. 4 was forced to dig deep early, saving three set points at 4-5 before taking control of the match with his trademark consistency from the baseline. Medvedev’s serve grew stronger as the contest wore on, and he sealed victory in just under 90 minutes.

The other semifinal will pit France’s Corentin Moutet against rising American Alex Michelsen. Moutet advanced with a 6-4, 7-5 victory over Jan-Lennard Struff, his touch and variety once again unsettling a power hitter. Michelsen, meanwhile, battled past Japan’s Shintaro Mochizuki 6-3, 3-6, 6-2, snapping a five-match losing streak earlier in the week to reach his second career tour-level semifinal.