David Nalbandian kept his Masters Cup hopes alive when he ended world number four Andy Murray's 14-match winning streak with a 7-6, 6-3 win in the Paris Masters quarter-finals on Friday.
The Argentine will meet either top seed Rafael Nadal or Russian Nikolay Davydenko in the last four on Saturday.
The Argentine, 14th in the ATP Race, will qualify for the Masters Cup in Shanghai if he retains his Paris title.
American James Blake was the first player to qualify for the semi-finals as he advanced when world number two Roger Federer pulled out with a back injury.
Murray, who won the Madrid Masters and the St Petersburg Open title this month, struggled with his first serve in the opening set and smashed his racket to the ground after being broken in the fourth game.
The Scot, however, converted his only break chance to draw level and picked up his game, trying to keep Nalbandian at bay with his slice.
But the Argentine, with a mix of cunning drop shots and powerful groundstrokes, took the tiebreak 7-3.
Nalbandian then shifted up another gear, breaking four times in the second set to wrap up victory in one hour and 43 minutes with yet another drop shot.
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