Charging Czech Tomas Berdych saved three match points to stun five-time champion Roger Federer 3-6 7-6 (10-8) 6-4 on Friday to set up a Dubai Open final with Novak Djokovic.
Federer had his three match-winning opportunities in the second set tiebreaker but missed on them all, allowing Berdych to level at a set each on his third set point.
The match went into a deciding set, where the Czech expanded an early lead into a 4-2 margin.
Federer saved two match points in the ninth game before the Czech fired his eight ace for a match point and won on a final error from the Swiss after two hours, 19 minutes.
“It feels amazing,” said the winner. “Roger is such a great player, he’s done so much. It came down to just a point or two and I was maybe able to manage it better than he did.
“I’ve been working a lot on my game, especially my serve. I’m so happy to be in the final, but it doesn’t get any easier. There’s not much to say when you play Djokovic.
“I have to rest, prepare and start again tomorrow.”
The win was the fifth for Wimbledon finalist Berdych from his last eight meetings with Federer, including their last match in a US Open quarter-final won by the Czech.
The defending champion Swiss world No.2 has not won a title since last August in Cincinnati.
Djokovic beat a frustrated but fighting Juan Del Potro 6-3 7-6 (7-4) to reach the Saturday final.
The world No.1, who lifted the trophy at the Aviation club each year from 2009-11, is looking for a second trophy in 2013 after winning the Australian Open. His victory in one and three-quarter hours was his eighth over Argentine fourth seed Del Potro against two defeats.
The Serb top seed stands 12-0 this season and 27-3 in Dubai.
“I was very pleased with the performance overall and the way I handled myself in the tough moments,” said Djokovic. “Mentally I stayed tough and believed that I could go all the way and win in straight sets.
“I didn’t really allow myself to be negative. But it’s becoming a tradition in this tournament to drop a serve when I’m serving for a match. Hopefully it’s not going to happen another time tomorrow.”
