Frances Tiafoe saved six set points against mis-firing opponent Marton Fucsovics on Saturday to post a 6-3, 7-6 (11) win which took him into his first career grass-court final.
Victory at the ATP Boss event in Stuttgart puts the 25-year-old just a win away from a breakthrough place in the ranking Top 10 with Wimbledon coming in a fortnight.
Tiafoe confessed that he was stressing in the dramatic second-set tiebreaker where he managed to hold off the hard-charging Hungarian.
“It was a crazy match, crazy second set,” the winner said. “I’m just happy to get through,
“I was not relaxed out there in the tiebreak – the furthest thing from it.
“I do stress out.. It seemed like he just didn’t want to take the match.
“As that was the case, I guess I should take it.”
Tiafoe will be playing the seventh final of his career on Sunday against either Hubert Hurkacz or German Jan-Lennard Struff.
The winner neutralised 14 aces from Fucsovics and never faced a break point at the Weissenhof club showdown.
Tiafoe will bid for his third career title and second of the season after winning Houston in April.
“i want to try and win it,” he said of his debut week in Stuttgart. “Ive done well this week
“I want to finish the job and have some drinks on Sunday.”
