Taylor Fritz defeated Denis Shapovalov 6-3, 6-7(5), 6-3 on Saturday to set up an all-American final with Frances Tiafoe at the Rakuten Japan Open.
The third-seeded Fritz trailed 3-1 in the final set but roared back to win the next five games, wrapping up victory with his sixth ace of the match against his Canadian opponent at Tokyo's Ariake Colosseum.
Fritz won 82 percent of his first-serve points while converting four of his seven break points.
"I tried to just dig deep and give my best try," Fritz said afterward on court. "I was able to swing the momentum at the end of the match and play some good points when it mattered. I kind of sneaked out a win."
Fritz, who pushed Rafael Nadal to five sets in his Wimbledon quarterfinal defeat this year, is looking for his fourth career ATP Tour title and third this season.
"This year, I've done a really good job. I've gotten into tournaments, going deep and making the finals. I'm super excited to do it in Tokyo. It's one of my favorite tournaments," Fritz said.
In the other semifinal, fourth-seeded Tiafoe ended unseeded South Korean Kwon Soon Woo's strong run in Tokyo with a 6-2, 0-6, 6-4 victory.
