SAITAMA, Japan, Aug 30 - European champions Greece ground out a 73-56 win over France to advance to the semi-finals of the world basketball championship on Wednesday.

Antonis Fotsis and Lazaros Papadopoulos led unbeaten Greece with 14 points apiece in a low-scoring affair but the Greeks will hardly have frightened their prospective semi-finals opponents.

United States and Germany play later on Wednesday for the right to face Greece in Friday's final four.

Greece shaded a scrappy first two quarters, Dimitris Diamantidis providing a rare highlight with an off-balance three at the buzzer to give his team a 34-24 halftime lead.

France also fell to Greece with team leader Tony Parker among their ranks in last year's European semi-finals.

Parker broke a finger in the run-up to the tournament and France lacked any sort of penetration against a physical Greek defense without the San Antonio Spurs guard.