Eastbourne, England, 22 June 2012 | Tennis Australia

Aussie Marinko Matosevic has fallen in the quarterfinals of the ATP event in Eastbourne, going down in straight sets to Belgian Steve Darcis.

With their match held over until Friday morning following a rain-delayed schedule on Thursday, Darcis moved through to the semifinals – to be contested later on Friday – thanks to a 6-2 7-6(4) victory.

Despite the loss, Matosevic enjoyed a stellar tournament, coming through three rounds of qualifying and enjoying two wins in the main draw to complete a solid preparation on grass ahead of Wimbledon, starting on Monday.

Matosevic will face Belgian Xavier Malisse in his first round match at the All England Club.

Darcis has made a habit of eliminating Australians this week in Eastbourne, having also accounted for Matthew Ebden in the opening round.

The Belgian looked set to breeze into the semifinals against either Andy Roddick or Fabio Fognini when he convincingly won the opening set, yet Matosevic made it a far more competitive affair in the second before ultimately falling in one hour and 32 minutes.

Following his quarterfinal appearance, Matosevic is expected to crack the top 80 in the ATP World Tour rankings, and could even leapfrog Ebden (currently ranked No.75) to become the second-ranked Australian.