Mikhail Youzhny fought back from a set down to defeat Igor Andreev in an all-Russian semi-final at the Malaysian Open in Kuala Lumpur.
Youzhny, at fourth the highest seed left in the competition, lost the first set 3-6 but recovered to win the next two 6-0 6-2 against the qualifier.
Youzhny now faces Andrey Golubev of Kazakhstan in Sunday’s final after his 7-5 7-6 win over Spain’s David Ferrer.
Golubev had overcome top seed Robin Soderling in the quarter-finals.
World number nine Youzhny is bidding to qualify for the eight-man World Tour Finals in London in November.
Andreev, ranked 102 in the world, looked like he was on his way to his first final since 2008 when he took the opener.
Will Youzhny prevail in the final?
However, Youzhny, who reached the semi-finals of the US Open this year before losing to world number one Rafael Nadal, secured five breaks to end his compatriot’s excellent run at the outdoor hard court tournament.
Victory on Sunday would be Youzhny’s second title of the season having triumphed on clay at Munich’s BMW Open last May.
