British number one Cameron Norrie reached his second ATP Tour final in the space of a week with victory over Bernabe Zapata Miralles in the semi-finals of the Rio Open.
A few hours after Andy Murray went down to Daniil Medvedev in the final of the Qatar Open, Norrie beat Zapata Miralles 6-2 3-6 7-6[3] in just under two-and-a-half hours.
A dominant first set for Norrie saw the Wimbledon semi-finalist quickly earn the double break while winning five of the six first games, but he missed four chances to clinch the set on Zapata Miralles's serve.
A hold to 15 in the eighth game would give Norrie the early advantage, but his Spanish counterpart came roaring back in the second set, breaking in the second game and proceeding to hold for a 3-0 lead.
Winning far more points on his first serve, Zapata Miralles missed two chances for a double break in the second set, but he nevertheless kept Norrie at bay and held to love in the ninth game to ensure that both players would go the distance.
After a cagey opening to the third set, Norrie drew first blood with a break in the sixth game, but an inspired Zapata Miralles broke straight back to get the contest back on serve.
The world number 63 would be left to rue a missed opportunity to break Norrie again in the 11th game, as the Brit came up with the goods when it mattered most - winning four of the first five points in the tie-breaker.
Zapata Miralles could not stage a late comeback following the mini-break, and Norrie took his first match point to advance to his third ATP Tour final of the year.
The 27-year-old - who has lost each of his last three ATP Tour finals - will battle for glory against either Nicolas Jarry or world number two Carlos Alcaraz, who beat him in the final of the Argentina Open last weekend.
Ben Knapton
