Shanghai - Roberto Bautista Agut floored Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-3, 6-4 to reach the Shanghai Masters semi-finals and send last year's runner-up crashing out on Friday.
The Spaniard broke his French rival three times in the first set and once in the second as he raced through in 1 hour 12 minutes at the Qi Zhong Tennis Center.
Bautista Agut's third win in a row over Tsonga pitches him into a semi-final against either defending champion Novak Djokovic or Germany's Mischa Zverev.
The 28-year-old world number 16 is now into the last four at a Masters tournament for the second time after his run to the Madrid semis in 2014.
Result from the ATP Shanghai Masters on Friday (x denotes seeding):
Men's singles
Quarter-finals
Roberto Bautista (ESP x15) bt Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA x9) 6-3, 6-4