The Serb, who was playing in only his second match following an elbow injury, was beaten 2-6, 6-3, 5-7 by the world number 13.

Victory for Goffin was his first in six meetings with 12-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic, whose hopes of a third title in Monte Carlo have ended, and first over a top-three ranked player.

His reward is a meeting with defending champion Rafael Nadal, who overcame Argentina’s Diego Schwartzman 6-4, 6-4.

Nadal, aiming for his 50th clay court title, is joined in the semi-finals by fellow Spaniard Albert Ramos-Vinolas, who followed up his victory over world number one Sir Andy Murray yesterday with a 6-2, 6-7 (5-7), 6-2 win at the expense of Croatia’s Marin Cilic. 

Ramos-Vinolas is seeded 10 places lower than Cilic for the tournament, at number 15.

He will look to continue his remarkable run against 11^th seed Lucas Pouille after the Frenchman secured his place in the penultimate round with a 6-0, 3-6, 7-5 success against Uruguay’s Pablo Cuevas.

"I know Pouille, he's a young player coming on very strong,” Ramos-Vinolas, who will be competing in his first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 semi-final, told Sky Sports.

"It will be super difficult.

"I think I'm playing good.

"I'm competing very good, but I cannot tell you exactly what's happening."