David Ferrer outlasted John Isner 6-3, 6-7(6), 6-2 to move into the semi-finals at the BNP Paribas Masters in Paris on Friday. The American was unable to recapture the form which had allowed him to upset No. 3 seed Roger Federer the day prior and fell to 4-6 in 2015 quarter-final appearances to close out his season.

While Isner dominated on serve against the Swiss 24 hours ago (27 aces, no double-faults), against Ferrer he found himself consistently under siege. The big server fired 13 aces, but was only able to win 59 per cent of first-serve points against the Spaniard and faced 15 break points, saving 10. The American was limited by a stomach ailment, for which he received treatment in the third set.

Ferrer only produced three aces during the two-hour, 26-minute win, but backed up his delivery by keeping his opponent off-balance from the baseline. He won 79 per cent of first-serve points and saved three of four break points faced.

The 2012 Paris champion is gunning for a sixth ATP World Tour title this season, which would put him in a tie with Federer for second-most (Djokovic: 9). Standing in Ferrer’s way is World No. 2 Andy Murray. The Brit leads the pair’s FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry 10-6 and won the last three meetings.