Rafael Nadal stumbled out of the Italian Open after being defeated on clay by Stan Wawrinka at the quarter-final stage.
Wawrinka will now face second seed and fellow countryman Roger Federer in the semi-finals after beating Nadal 7-6 6-2.
Nadal’s dominance on clay appears to be slipping ahead of the French Open. He has now lost five of his 22 contests on the surface this year and was beaten in straight sets by Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray in the last fortnight before his latest defeat.
Djokovic, the top seed, did book his place in the semi-finals but Japan’s Kei Nishikori did not make it easy for the Serbian.