Defending champion Kei Nishikori will meet Benoit Paire in the Japan Open Tennis Championships semi-final after coming from behind to beat Marin Cilic on Friday.

The second seed wasted three chances to break Cilic in the third game of the opening set and was made to rue those misses as the Croat broke three games later to move ahead.

Nishikori – who had his racquet knocked out of his hand by one Cilic serve - was only able to win one point from the sixth seed's next two service matches as he took the opening set, but the 2014 winner came out in the second ready to battle.

Bidding for his third title in Tokyo in four years, Nishikori traded blows with his rival and when cracks began to appear in Cilic's game he took full advantage.

Having levelled thanks to a crisp backhand, the second seed pushed on in the decider and closed out the quarter-final with an ace of his own, winning 3-6 7-5 6-3.

Paire also came from a set down to earn his last-four spot as he beat Nick Kyrgios 3-6 6-4 6-1, the Frenchman converting four of his 12 opportunities to break.

The second semi-final will see top seed Stan Wawrinka meet Gilles Muller after both men enjoyed straight-set successes.

A single break in either set was enough for Wawrinka to beat Austin Krajicek 6-3 6-4, his clinical ground strokes and powerful serve proving too much for the world number 124.

Meanwhile, Muller wasted three match points before overcoming Gilles Simon by the same scoreline.