Miami, Mar 30 (IANS): Pablo Carreno Busta defeated world No.8 Kevin Anderson 6-4, 5-7, 7-6 (6) here to reach the semifinals of the Miami Open tennis tournament.

Besides propelling him to only his second Masters 1000 semifinal, Thursday's victory represents revenge for the Spaniard's loss to the South African ea rlier this month in the round of 16 at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, reports Efe news agency.

The 26-year-old, ranked 19th in the world, also posted his second win against a Top 10 opponent after defeating then-No.6 Milos Raonic in the 2017 French Open.

Anderson looked like the favorite heading into the match, having defeated Carreno Busta in all four of their previous encounters.

Yet it was the Spaniard who dominated in the beginning, taking the first set 6-4 and surging to a 5-3 lead in the second before Anderson broke his serve and won four straight games to prevail 7-5 and force a third set.

Carreno Busta survived a match point for Anderson in the third set tie-break and grabbed the next three points to secure the spot in the final four.

The Spaniard's next opponent will be the winner of Thursday night's quarterfinal between Alexander Zverev and Borna Coric.