RIO DE JANEIRO, Feb. 20 (Xinhua) -- Argentine eighth seed Tomas Martin Etcheverry reached the ATP Rio Open semifinals on Friday with a 7-6 (7-4), 6-4 win over Jaime Faria of Portugal.

Etcheverry won 80% of points on his first serve and hit nine aces to take the match in two hours and four minutes on the outdoor clay of the Jockey Club Brasileiro.

World No. 147 Faria failed to convert any of his five break point opportunities and made 21 unforced errors.

Etcheverry will meet 87th-ranked Vit Kopriva in the next round of the ATP 500 event after the Czech beat Juan Manuel Cerundolo of Argentina 6-4, 6-4.

Kopriva struck six aces and won 86% of points on his first serve against his 78th-ranked opponent. ■