British number one Jack Draper reached the Erste Bank Open final by beating Italian Lorenzo Musetti in straight sets in Vienna.
Seventh seed Draper broke the serve of sixth seed Musetti five times to beat his fellow 22-year-old 6-2 6-4 and reach his first ATP 500 final.
Draper has won one ATP 250 title – the Stuttgart Open in June.
“I suppose it is my biggest final yet,” Draper said.
This has been a stellar year for Draper, with the highlight being his run to the US Open semi-finals in September.
Now he will move to a career-high ranking, inside the top 16 for the first time.
He said: “I have been in 250 finals, Grand Slam semis, obviously a bigger match than tomorrow, but at the same time to be in the final of a 500 after all the work I put in this year and the season I have had, I am incredibly grateful.”
One difference between ATP 250 and ATP 500 titles is the amount of ranking points a player earns for winning a tournament.
Victory over Musetti moved Draper to provisional world number 15, leapfrogging the Italian.
Draper will play Karen Khachanov in Sunday’s final after the unseeded Russian beat second seed Alex de Minaur – also by a 6-2 6-4 margin.
World number 24 Khachanov, 28, resisted a De Minaur fightback in the second set, when the Australian recovered a break of serve.
Khachanov will be attempting to win the eighth ATP singles title of his career, and a third of the year after wins in Qatar and – only last weekend – in Kazakhstan.
‘I’m proud I kept on fighting’ – Draper
Musetti struggled early on with his forehand shots not clinical and it led to three breaks of the Italian’s serve by Draper in the first set.
Knowing he needed to win the second set to remain in the semi-final, it was crucial Musetti held the opening game, which he did despite pressure from Draper.
But Draper managed to break Musetti in his second service game of the second set after an error-strewn performance. His frustration was clear as he threw his racquet on the floor later in the set.
Musetti grew into the match and had three break points in the sixth game of the second set but Draper was able to save all three to hold.
On Draper’s next serve Musetti had another five break points and eventually the Italian turned the screw to the level the second set 4-4.
However, he could not compound the impressive break with unforced errors gifting Draper – who looked to be struggling – a break, and the Briton served out the match to secure the win.
The pair had played each other twice previously with Draper coming out the winner on both occasions.
Draper added: “The first set was really high-level from my side. Lorenzo is a really tough competitor – I have known him since I was really young and to play against him is always so difficult. He has had an incredible season.
“The second set was really up and down. There was some nerves and difficult moments but I am really proud of the way I just kept on fighting.”
