Viktor Troicki’s turnaround from tour outsider to title contender is all but complete after the Serb won through to the Sydney International final by demolishing Gilles Muller in their semi-final on Friday.

The former world No.12, who served a controversial 12-month suspension for failing to take a blood test at an event in 2013 was an easy 6-2 6-4 winner.

It is his first ATP final since the incident.

He’ll now play unfancied qualifier Mikhail Kukushkin who won through to the decider after a 6-4 6-4 win over Leonardo Mayer.

It is the first time in ATP tournament history that two qualifiers have made it through to a final.

Troicki was clearly delighted with the result.

“It sounds good when you are a qualifier,” he said when told of the stat.

It’s been an extraordinary few years for Troicki, a losing finalist at Sydney Olympic Park back in 2011.

Initially banished for 18 months – a sanction he hotly disputed – he later had the sentence reduced to one year on appeal by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Returning in July last year with a ranking of 847 in the world he has risen to No.92 and will likely move at least into the 70s after his results here.

Earlier, world No.66 Kukushkin controlled his match against Mayer nicely and took advantage of a service break in each set against the fifth-seeded Argentine.

It will be Kukushkin’s third final.

A ten-year tour journeyman, the Kazakh has one career title from St Petersburg in 2010.

It extends his winning-record in Sydney to seven matches after he won three in qualifying to make the main draw.

He’s also yet to drop a set in that time.

Kukushkin can expect a rankings move into the 40s if he wins.