Juan Martin del Potro will face Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut for Auckland Classic glory after downing Spanish veteran David Ferrer 6-4 6-4 in their semi-final.
Renowned for his destructive service game, del Potro struggled on Friday to unleash his greatest weapon but still kept Ferrer pinned back with his forehand.
The Argentine broke late against a scampering Ferrer to earn a 6-4 first-set win before seizing another crucial break at 4-4 in the second set and serving out the match.
Like the dynamic Ferrer, del Potro also managed to keep himself in the game, saving six break points and frustrating the Spaniard with his staying power.
In the end, he served only one ace.
In Saturday’s decider, the injury-plagued world No.12 will face Bautista Agut, who did it the hard way against Robin Haase, winning their semi-final 6-7 (7-9) 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (7-5).
In a match characterised by long rallies, Bautista Agut eventually did enough to triumph.
A red-hot favourite for the match, the world No.21 encountered tough resistance from Haase, who recovered from a poor start to win the first set.
But with all three sets going to tiebreakers, Bautista Agut’s relentless accuracy and fitness came to the fore, winning in just under three hours.
“I tried to not make mistakes, play in the right places, try and play as hard as possible with all the pressure,” Bautista Agut said of the third-set tiebreaker.
“I knew he would fight until the end.”
The second-seeded del Potro will aim for his first Classic title since 2009, while fifth-seeded Bautista Agut will seek his second crown in three years.