Italian qualifier Roberta Vinci continued her dream run at the Barcelona Open before the rain once again took hold in Catalonia.

The 26-year-old world number 61 followed up her second-round defeat of countrywoman and second seed Flavia Pennetta with another storming performance to oust Bulgaria's Anastasiya Yakimova 6-3 6-3 in their quarter-final.

Another Italian, 44th-ranked Francesca Schiavone, awaits Vinci in the last four after a hard-fought 6-3 7-5 win over Czech Lucie Safarova.

The weather then closed in, preventing the two remaining seeds in the tournament, Carla Suarez Navarro and Maria Kirilenko, from potentially joining them in the semi-finals.