France’s Julien Benneteau won 12 of the last 15 games to stun Australian Open champion Stan Wawrinka 1-6 6-1 6-2 in Cincinnati on Friday and reach the first ATP Masters semi-final of his career.

Benneteau, ranked 41st in the world, fired nine aces and broke the third-seeded Swiss four times in the 80-minute contest.

He was quickly followed into the final four of the last major US Open tune-up by fifth-seeded Canadian Milos Raonic, who crushed 15th-seeded Italian Fabio Fognini 6-1 6-0 in just 57 minutes.

Raonic awaits the winner of the night’s marquee men’s match-up – second-seeded Roger Federer taking on eighth-seeded Andy Murray.

Benneteau next faces either sixth-seeded David Ferrer or fellow Spaniard Tommy Robredo who dispatched world number one Novak Djokovic in the third round.

After sweeping through the first set in 27 minutes, Wawrinka could find no answer to Benneteau who broke for a 2-0 lead in the second set and rolled from there.

He finished off the victory with an ace on the first of two match points.

Benneteau next faces either sixth-seeded David Ferrer or fellow Spaniard Tommy Robredo – who dispatched world number one Novak Djokovic in the third round.

“It’s my best result in Masters 1000,” said Benneteau. “They are very, very difficult tournaments. It’s top 45 players in the world.

“You don’t have a lot of opportunities to make a very big result in Masters 1000. But the tournament is not done, and I still have a lot to do.”

Benneteau is making his ninth appearance in Cincinnati, a key tune-up event for the US Open, the final Grand Slam of the year that starts on August 25.

His previous best showing was a quarter-final in 2009.

He now stands 14-43 against top 10 opponents and 2-2 this season against the elite after beating Toronto Masters champion Jo-Wilfried Tsonga en route to the quarter-finals at Indian Wells.