Bernard Tomic is out of the Sydney International after being beaten 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (15-13) in his quarter-final clash with big-serving left-hander Gilles Muller on Ken Rosewall Arena.

A tight opening set was claimed by the world No.45 from Luxembourg who prevailed in the tiebreak having sent down 11 aces against the Queenslander.

The second set followed a similar pattern with both players dominating on serve with Muller sending down a further 14 aces and Tomic eight.

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Neither player converted a single break point in the match, but Tomic squandered two set points in the second set on Muller’s serve then raced into a 2-0 lead in the tiebreak.

However, he was unable to take advantage of that mini break and although he successfully saved four match points on his own serve, the 31-year-old Muller clinched a marathon tie-breaker with a stinging return that Tomic couldn’t keep in play.

It was the fourth time in as many meetings Muller has beaten Tomic and he will now face Serbia’s Viktor Troicki for a place in Saturday’s final.

The other semi-final will be contested between Mikhail Kukushkin and Leonardo Mayer.

Kukushkin ended comeback kid Juan Martin del Potro’s tournament with a 7-6 (7-5) 7-6 (7-3) victory.

Del Potro, in his first tournament back from a wrist injury, fell to the Kazakhstan qualifier but is looking forward to making it back to Melbourne Park for the Australian Open.

“We go day by day. It’s dangerous for me if I’m looking forward for the next tournaments or the next month,” said del Potro.

“But I got lucky playing three matches in this tournament against good players. I’m here; I’m still alive. I feel tired, but okay.”

It’s now six wins in a row for the plucky world No.66 at Sydney Olympic Park after three victories in qualifying.

He will face Argentine Mayer in the last four after his 6-3 7-6 (7-4) win over 2012 finalist Julien Benneteau.

Troicki booked his spot in the semis with a hard-fought 6-3 3-6 7-5 win over Italy’s Simone Bolelli in a match that lasted over two hours.

Meanwhile, the women’s final will be an all-Czech affair after Petra Kvitova and Karolina Pliskova won their semi-finals.

Petra Kvitova and Karolina Pliskova will face off in the Sydney International women’s final. Photo: Getty

World No.4 Kvitova made light work of Tsvetana Pironkova 7-5 6-1, ending the Bulgarian’s incredible 14-match winning streak at Sydney Olympic Park after coming through qualifying to win the tournament in 2014 and again having to qualify for the main draw this year.

Pliskova was a straight-sets winner over Angelique Kerber.

After a slow start that included getting her serve broken in the opening game, Kvitova went to a new level and regardless of the final result on Friday will head to Melbourne Park as one of the favourites.

The two-time Wimbledon champion looks super fit and with a tricky left-handed serve and her powerful cross-court forehand on song, a third grand slam title looks a distinct possibility.

A brutal schedule finally caught up with Kerber.

World No.22 Pliskova enjoyed a comfortable 6-3 6-2 win over last year’s finalist.

It had been a tough few days for the German fifth seed and world No.9 who had to endure three three-set matches, including a WTA record late finish at 3.10am on Wednesday after rain delays disrupted the schedule.

The night owl found the day match less to her liking on Ken Rosewall Arena and departed in 55 minutes.