Doubles specialist Granollers said: “We are really happy that we fought hard for all of the team. We believed and here we are in the semi-finals.
“Last year was difficult for us [exiting in the quarter-finals] but we know this competition is very difficult. We can see here how good the teams are. We have a young team but we are still alive.”
Not since they last won the title in 2019 have Spain reached the last four of the Davis Cup Finals.
The six-time champions will play either Argentina or Germany in Saturday’s semi-final.
Those two nations, the latter led by world number three Alexander Zverev – the highest-ranked player in action in Bologna – play later on Thursday.
Two-time defending champions Italy will play Belgium in the first semi-final on Friday.
The Italians – like Spain – are without their leading man, with Jannik Sinner, who was usurped by Alcaraz as world number one last week, opting to maximise his recovery during the sport’s brief six-week off-season after triumphing at the ATP Finals on Sunday.
