semifinal

noun

Etymology: From Latin semifinalis, equivalent to semi- + final.

1. A playoff in the round with only four players or teams left, the stage before the final.

   “Roger Federer extended his grasscourt streak to 57 matches with a victory over Marcos Baghdatis and will play Nicolas Kiefer in the semifinals of the Gerry Weber Open in Halle, Germany.”

   “In the 1991 Wimbledon semifinal between Michael Stich and Stefan Edberg, there was just one service break in the entire match, and the guy whose serve was broken, Stich, ended up winning the match!”

2. A competition that narrows a field of contestants (semifinalists) to a set of finalists, for a subsequent final.