Albert Ramos-Vinolas has beaten Lucas Pouille 6-3 5-7 6-1 to reach the final of the clay-court Monte Carlo Masters final.

Although the 15th-seeded Ramos Vinolas has never previously reached a Masters final and has won only one career title, he has good credentials on clay, having reached the quarter-finals of the French Open last year.

Saturday’s semi-final was between two players who made significant breakthroughs last year, with the 23-year-old Pouille reaching quarter-finals at Wimbledon and the US Open. Pouille had won their only previous match in straight sets two years ago in Auckland.

Ramos-Vinolas took the first set when he broke the 11th-seeded Frenchman, concluding with a smash at the net.

Pouille missed a chance to break in the ninth game of the second set, meaning he was serving to stay in the match. After holding easily with a neat volley at the net, Pouille got the crowd going and then played his best tennis of the match.

He broke Ramos-Vinolas in the next game when the Spaniard hit a forehand long, and Pouille levelled the match on his own serve but seemed to be struggling physically in the deciding set.

At 3-0 down, Pouille needed treatment to his lower back and hips for about four minutes during the changeover.

His power went after that and the inevitable happened when Pouille dropped his serve again in the seventh game.

Ramos-Vinolas has one career title – on outdoor clay by the sea in Bastad, Sweden – and has lost three other finals, including this year on clay in Sao Paulo.