Alex De Minaur brushed aside Luciano Darderi in straight sets to reach the Hamburg Open semi-finals.

The Australian was put to the test by the number seven seed, but took just 95 minutes to record his 6-0 6-3 victory.

De Minaur started strongly, but had to hold off six break points in the third game to take a 3-0 lead.

Darderi attempted to get on the board in a marathon sixth game, but after seven deuces, De Minaur finally got over the line, converting his second set point attempt.

The Italian held his serve for the first time in the second game of the next set, but the third seed went on a four-game winning streak to take back control – all while defending five break points.

Darderi held off the inevitable with his first break in the seventh game, but De Minaur secured the victory on his next service game.

He will face Tommy Paul in the semi-final after the American came out on top with a 6-2 7-5 victory over Daniel Altmaier.

Lucky loser Aleksandar Kovacevic also continued his fine run in Germany and will face Ignacio Buse in the final four after they beat Camilo Ugo Carabelli and Ugo Humbert, respectively.

Elsewhere in Geneva, Casper Ruud booked his place in the semi-finals with a 6-4 6-3 victory over Alexei Popyrin, and he will face Mariano Navone, who stunned number eight seed Jaume Munar 6-2 6-2.

Alexander Bublik, meanwhile, had to come from behind to earn his 5-7 6-4 6-2 victory over Arthur Rinderknech, and his reward is a clash with Learner Tien, who beat compatriot Alex Michelsen in three sets, in the next round.

Data Debrief: Tough to break

While Darderi did eventually get the better of De Minaur's serve, it was too little, too late, as the Australian had proven too strong.

De Minaur converted five of the 10 break points he forced, but when he was made to defend, he held off 11 of the 12 opportunities Darderi carved out.