Juan Martin del Potro is a victory away from claiming his fourth title in as many events at the Legg Mason Classic after a semi-final victory over Tommy Haas on Saturday.
The second-seeded Argentine defeated fourth-seeded German Haas in emphatic fashion 6-2 6-1 to take his winning streak to 18 consecutive matches, with tournament victories in Stuttgart, Kitzbuhel and Los Angeles along the way.
The 19-year-old, who has won 36 of his last 38 sets, will be a heavy favourite for Sunday's final against Serbian Viktor Troicki, who fired seven aces en route to a 6-4 6-2 triumph over Russia's Igor Kunitsyn.
‘I'm very, very confident,' Del Potro said. ‘And I have to use that confidence tomorrow.’
The highlight of Del Potro's breakthrough run occurred last weekend in Los Angeles when he defeated ninth-ranked American Andy Roddick in the final.
That victory remains Del Potro's most impressive triumph during the winning streak, which mostly has come at the expense of average talent. The only other top-30 player he has defeated during the stretch is 11th-ranked Richard Gasquet.
Del Potro did more than enough to justify his number 19 ranking against Haas, however, as he committed just 15 unforced errors during the 82-minute match.
A former world number two now ranked 48th, Haas was overwhelmed by the teenager, who won nine consecutive games after falling behind 2-1 in the opening set.
‘I made a few easy mistakes, but he played really really solid,’ said Haas, adding that Del Potro may open some eyes at upcoming US Open.
‘You would probably have to put him as a darkhorse, he's probably someone to watch out for.’
Ranked 93rd in the world, Troicki earned a berth in his first ATP final with the victory over Kunitsyn, which followed an impressive quarter-final upset of defending champion Roddick.
The 22-year-old never has faced del Potro in his career.
