British number one Dan Evans was outgunned by top seed Matteo Berrettini as his run at Queen's Club ended in the quarter-finals.
But Britain will have a player in the last four this weekend after Cameron Norrie beat teenage compatriot Jack Draper.
In a match delayed by four and a half hours due to rain, Evans dropped serve only once but was beaten 7-6 (5) 6-3 by the Italian world number nine.
Evans was unable to add big-serving Berrettini to his four previous top-10 scalps – including world number one Novak Djokovic earlier this year – but he will take a lot of positivity from his week at the cinch Championships into Wimbledon later this month.
Sensational 🙌 Dan Evans engineers a crash landing on the grass to rescue this point at Queen's. #cinchChampionships pic.twitter.com/N0qSEtSdYT — Tennis TV (@TennisTV) June 18, 2021
Under gloomy west London skies, Evans had to save four break points in coming back from 0-40 in his opening service game and then squandered a break point of his own in the next.
A further four break points were saved in the fifth, taking Evans' total during the week to 18.
But after that early flurry of chances, the set meandered into a tie-break and a double-fault by Evans proved costly, cancelling out a mini-break.
The first set point fell to Berrettini and he took it with a booming forehand which a scrambling Evans could only return long.
Massive from Matteo 💪 Top seed @MattBerrettini defeats Evans 7-6(5), 6-3 to reach the semi-finals.#cinchChampionships pic.twitter.com/kZTT9R9rda — ATP Tour (@atptour) June 18, 2021
Berrettini's 140mph serves which accounted for Andy Murray on Thursday were in full effect again as he slammed down four straight aces in a 44-second game.
Evans forced a break point at 2-2 but was unable to convert and a wayward service game gifted Berrettini a 5-3 lead and ultimately the match.
Evans said: "I thought he played a good match, and I thought I did well to hang around.
"Obviously I got in some winning positions in the first set and didn't take them. So that's life.
"But, you know, I'm right there. I'm right there or thereabouts where I want to be at this point on the grass."
Draper's breakthrough tournament saw him beat two top-40 players in Jannik Sinner and Alexander Bublik.
But he found in-form Norrie, currently ranked 41 in the world, a step too far and fell to a 6-3 6-3 defeat.
Norrie said: "I served well when I needed to, especially when I faced a couple of break points.
"It was just a matter of who played the bigger points better and I think I did slightly, and that was the difference."
Norrie will face either Canada's Denis Shapovalov or American Frances Tiafoe in the last four. Second seed Shapovalov had taken the first set 6-3 when play was suspended.
Berrettini will take on Alex De Minaur, who came from behind to beat two-time Queen's champion Marin Cilic in three sets.
