TOKYO: Belgian David Goffin reached a second straight Japan Open tennis final with a tense 7-6(3), 7-6(6) victory over Argentina's Diego Schwartzman on Saturday.
Goffin will face either Croatia's Marin Cilic or Frenchman Adrian Mannarino in Sunday's decider.
A Schwartzman double fault at 6-6 in the second tiebreak gifted Goffin a chance to serve for the match, which he converted.
With no breaks in the first set, Goffin took the initiative in the fifth game of the second. He served for the match at 5-4 only for Schwartzman to break back.
Goffin also held the upper hand in the tiebreak at 3-2, before Schwartzman broke back two points later.
The victory extends Goffin's winning streak to eight matches, including four in winning his first title since 2014 in Shenzhen last week.
He stands at No.10 in the Emirates ATP Race to London rankings. With the injured Novak Djokovic and Stan Wawrinka ruled out, 10th place is good enough to secure a spot at the end-of-season showpiece.