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| Reuters |
Casper Ruud overcame a stern test from ailing second seed Holger Rune on Friday to secure a 3-6 6-3 6-4 win and reach the Mexican Open final where he will face defending champion Alex de Minaur.
De Minaur earlier returned to the title clash when Briton Jack Draper retired from their semi-final meeting because of an undisclosed issue while trailing 6-3 2-6 4-0.
It will be Ruud's second final in the country in as many weeks, but he will hope for a better result on Saturday after losing in Los Cabos to another Australian, Jordan Thompson.
The Norwegian was pushed to the limit by world number seven Rune in physically demanding conditions in Acapulco.
"I'm like a cockroach, not going anywhere, just creeping back in," Ruud joked when asked about his about his ability to respond after seemingly getting knocked down.
Rune came out firing and took the opening set. He was a point away from a break in the third game of the next set after finishing a long rally with a forehand winner at the net, but the Dane suddenly began to lose momentum.
