World number one Jannik Sinner defeated Alexander Zverev in a three-set thriller and reached the final of the Cincinnati Open.
The number one seed Sinner needed three hours and seven minutes to secure a 7:6 (11:9), 5:7, 7:6 (7:4) semi-final victory.
The 23-year-old Italian had lost all four of his previous matches against German Zverev, but fought his way into the final despite hip problems.
Sinner will face American Frances Tiafoe at around 23:00 BST on Monday for the chance to win his fifth ATP Tour title this season.
The 26-year-old Tiafoe defeated 15th-seeded Dane Holger Rune 4:6, 6:1, 7:6 (7:4) in the other semifinal.
After his grueling match against 27-year-old Zverev – which was interrupted due to rain – Sinner said he still needed to work on his fitness.
“Of course I have to improve physically because if I want to win Grand Slams or a major title, I definitely have to be in better shape,” he said.
“But I just tried to stay there mentally, which I’m very proud of – and let’s see what happens (on Monday).”
Sinner is aiming for his second major tournament victory this year when the US Open begins in New York on August 26.
After losing the first set in a tiebreak, Zverev won the second set before taking a 5-4 lead in the third set.
However, Sinner caught up and won three of the next four games, forcing another tiebreak in which he broke serve twice from world number four Zverev en route to victory.
“Sometimes you have to play with your gut feeling a little bit. And I think that was my strength today,” said Sinner.
“I think it was a good match for both of us. He served very, very well, so I can be very proud.”
