Saturday 13 February 2016 22:01, UK
Martin Klizan saved three match points against Nicolas Mahut to book a spot in the Rotterdam Open final.
And he will face fifth seed Gael Monfils in the title decider on Sunday, after the Frenchman beat Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-3 6-2.
Plucky Slovak Klizan has remarkably saved a total of eight match points in his last two matches in the Netherlands after somehow finding a way past Roberto Bautista Agut in the quarter-finals on Friday.
Klizan eventually recovered from two arduous sets to cruise through the final stages of his semi-final and won 6-7 7-6 6-2.
"It was almost impossible for me to win this match," Klizan said. "Nicolas was serving so well.
"Into the second set, his level was so much higher than mine. All I could do was keep trying and have fun. I hope it helped.
"I was really lucky today to get the win. It's great to be in my first 500-level final, I'll be ready for it."
He will next face another tough test against Monfils, who took just 76 minutes to secure his 12th win from 14 career meetings with Kohlschreiber.
Monfils sent down seven aces and converted three break points as he closed in on an opportunity to win the sixth title of his career.
"It's always tough against Philipp," he said. "I had to play my best for this win.
"I saved enough energy from the quarter-finals to play well today and I had to play aggressive tennis."
