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Dubai - Fernando Verdasco broke three times in the deciding set as the unseeded Spaniard defeated Robin Haase 7-6 (7/5), 5-7, 6-1 to reach the Dubai Tennis Championships final on Friday.
Verdasco, 33 and ranked 35th, will play for the title on Saturday against either top seed Andy Murray or French number seven, Lucas Pouille.
Murray will return to the court just 24 hours after his epic quarter-final win over Philipp Kohlschreiber which saw the world number one save seven match points in a 31-minute, 38-point second set tiebreak.
Verdasco won his last trophy 11 months ago on clay in Bucharest and was a Doha semi-finalist at the start of the season.
The Spaniard improved his career record over Haase to 4-3 thanks to Friday's victory which was sealed in two and a quarter hours.
Verdasco recovered from a break in the opening game of the match, winning the first set in a tiebreaker before his Dutch opponent levelled at a set each.
However, Verdasco ran off with the win in the decider, overcoming eight aces while producing just two himself for his eighth victory of the season.
