Belgian David Goffin continued his giant-killing run at Indian Wells as he stormed into the last four of the BNP Paribas Open with a 7-6(4), 6-2 upset victory over former US Open champion Marin Cilic Thursday. A day after ousting third seed Stan Wawrinka, Goffin battled through to his first Masters 1000 semifinal where he will meet Canadian Milos Raonic, a 7-5, 6-3 victor over Frenchman Gael Monfils. Goffin saved 11 of 12 break points against tall Croatian Cilic before sealing the win in just over an hour-and-a-half and declared himself ready to take on another big server. "It's good that in tennis you can find some solution against big players like Marin or Milos or (John) Isner," the 25-year-old told reporters. "Maybe I'm quicker. I think I can take the ball earlier. I have other weapons. That's why tennis is a nice sport. "I'm really happy with the way I managed the important points ... it was the key of the match, to win the first set, and to be more relaxed in the second." Raonic pounded out 10 aces to reach the semifinals at Indian Wells for the second straight year. "I did things well. I created opportunities for myself," the 12th seed told reporters. On the women's side, Victoria Azarenka showed little sympathy against an ailing Magdalena Rybarikova as the Belarussian eased to a 6-0, 6-0 victory over her Slovak opponent to book a BNP Paribas Open semifinal berth also Thursday. The 2012 champion polished off the opening set in just 34 minutes as she raced toward a first ‘double bagel' at the tournament in two years. "I think the key was the start. I started really well and took control and I think in the second set, she wasn't really feeling well," Azarenka, who faces big-serving Czech Karolina Pliskova in the semifinals, told reporters. Following the first set, the unseeded Rybarikova took a medical timeout to have her upper thigh taped. A victory in the final Sunday would be the 15th-ranked Azarenka's second tournament win of the season after her Brisbane International triumph in January. Earlier, Pliskova enjoyed a similarly dominant victory when she cruised into the semifinals with a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Russian teenager Darya Kasatkina. Top seed Serena Williams will take on third-seeded Pole Agnieska Radwanska in Friday's other semifinal. Pliskova blasted 30 winners and powered down nine aces to end Kasatkina's fairytale run in California, wrapping up the win in a little more than an hour at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. The 18-year-old Russian was unable to replicate the form she produced in ousting 12th-seeded Timea Bacsinszky in straight sets in the previous round as she was overpowered by the world No. 19.
