ATP Brisbane: Kei Nishikori battles past Grigor Dimitrov. Tsonga wins

Jo fired 11 aces and despite losing serve three times he had the advantage after trailing 4-2 in the opener, overpowering his rival and winning almost half of the return points to cross the finish line with five breaks of serve under his belt.

Daniel drew first blood, breaking in the very first game of the match when Tsonga netted an easy forehand but the Frenchman made no mistake from his stronger wing in game two, placing a forehand winner to break back and level the score at 1-1.

Still, Taro moved 3-2 up when Jo netted a forehand in game five, losing the advantage in the eighth game and saving a set point on serve in games 10 and 12 to reach the tie break that Jo won 7-5 with a single mini-break. They stayed in touch until 2-2 in the second set when Jo took charge, breaking the Japanese three times and securing the win in the ninth game to set Alex de Minaur clash on Friday.

Kei and Grigor played against each other for the sixth time and the Japanese claimed the fifth win, losing just 13 points in 12 service games and playing against only one break point.

Grigor converted it in the second set but he couldnt bring it home from there, suffering three breaks from nine chances he gave to Kei to end on the losing side and missing a chance to play in his first semi-final since Monte Carlo last April.

Overall, it was a great match for both and it is certainly among the candidates for the encounter of the tournament, staying close to each other in the opener and again once Nishikori erased the deficit in set number two.

Nothing could separate them in the first 10 games and the returners claimed just 10 points to stay away from break points. That all changed in the 11th game when Kei blasted a backhand down the line winner to create the opportunity, converting it with a forehand down the line winner that sent him 6-5 up, serving for the set in the following game.

Aggressive and determined to keep the points on his racquet, Nishikori fired four winners to take the opener 7-5, happy with the way he performed and hoping for more of the same in set number two. Grigor held after two deuces at the start of the second set and he broke Kei in the following game after a volley error from the Japanese who had to chase the result now.

Dimitrov saved two break points in game three with two winners and he painted a backhand down the line winner in game five to move 4-1 up, looking good to send the match into a decider. Nishikori recovered instantly after that break he suffered and he lost just three points in the last five service games, hitting with depth and precision and earning a lot of free points with his serve or the first groundstroke.

Still, he had to pull the break back and he did that in the seventh game after a deep return, forcing a loose backhand from Girgor and staying in touch in the 11th game to break the Bulgarian once again and move 6-5 in front.

Serving for the win, Kei fired two winners in game 12 to wrap up an impressive triumph and stay on the title course, seeking his first ATP crown since Memphis 2016. <table