Jack Draper booked his spot in the Madrid Open final with a hard-fought 6-3 7-6 (7-4) victory against Lorenzo Musetti.
The British number one will contest his third ATP final of the year against Norway’s Casper Ruud on Sunday.
Draper, 23, was broken in the opening set but claimed a double break of his own to come through comfortably.
It is the first time the 2024 US Open semi-finalist has reached the final of a clay-court event.
He is the first Englishman to reach the final of the Madrid Open and the second Briton after Scotland’s Andy Murray, who appeared in three finals and won two titles.
Draper is aiming for his second ATP title of the year after beating Holger Rune at Indian Wells in March.
“It felt like a key moment every point. The level was high from both of us. I’ve played Lorenzo all through the juniors and it has always been tough but he is a different animal on the clay,” Draper told Sky Sports.
“Sometimes in the key moments now I think about the pain I go through on a daily basis – all the sacrifices.”
He has won all four meetings with Musetti as a professional and his perfect record even extends back to their days in the juniors.
That might have been playing on Musetti’s mind in the opening stages when he dropped his first service game.
The Italian struck back immediately but was unable to force his way into the first set after a second break as Draper’s forehand once again proved to be a key factor.
Musetti was much improved in the second set and it made for a more competitive spectacle.
The Madrid crowd were firmly behind Musetti and chanted his name in the fifth game after a perfectly placed drop shot left Draper scrambling.
Both players refused to budge on serve – each saving one break point – before heading to a tie-break.
Again, it proved to be a tense battle but Draper earned a break on the fifth point to steal control and went on to serve out for victory – finishing with an authoritative cross-court backhand.
