Frenchman Marc Gicquel reached the last four of the Lyon International with an upset win over compatriot Sebastien Grosjean.
The eighth seed failed to recover from a back problem that forced him to retire during the doubles on Monday.
Marat Safin survived another tense match to beat Israel's Dudi Sela 6-3, 5-7, 4-6, 7-6, 6-0 in the second round.
World number one Rafael Nadal, taken the distance for the third match running, outlasted Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-4, 6-7, 6-4 on Friday to reach the semi-finals of the World Indoor Tournament. Nadal, who went to three sets against Simone Bolelli and Grigor Dimitrov earlier this week, next meets fifth seed Gael Monfils who beat French compatriot Julien Benneteau 7-6, 6-1.
