Andy Murray held off a strong challenge from Richard Gasquet to claim a 6-7 (3/7) 6-1 6-2 win and book a place in the Sony Open final against David Ferrer.
Eighth seed Gasquet started like a train before claiming the first set on a tie-break, but Murray asserted his authority in the second and third sets of an entertaining semi-final.
Murray will next take on third seed Ferrer, who beat veteran German Tommy Haas in the opening semi, with the Scot playing both for the title and the number two spot in the world rankings. A win will take him above Roger Federer.
“The first set was a tough one to lose,” Murray told Sky Sports 2. “I hit something like 20-odd winners, so to lose it was tough.
“I felt like I was dictating a lot of the points but just made a few unforced errors on the backhand side at the end.
“I did well in the second and third sets to keep up my intensity.”
Murray added: “He always comes up with unbelievable points. He’s incredibly talented.
“In the tie-break he played two pick-ups off his toes for clean winners. He’s in the top 10 in the world and he’s playing very well.”
On the final against Ferrer, he added: “It will be a tough match. He’s had a great week, he’s in great shape. He’s always tough to play against.”
Ferrer needed to dig deep to end the resilience of Haas and reach the final.
Haas, who dumped out world number one Novak Djokovic earlier this week, looked set to claim another famous scalp when he took the first set.
But Ferrer came storming back to level matters and although the Spaniard trailed 3-1 in the decider, he showed his typical resolve to seal a 4-6 6-2 6-3 triumph.