Unseeded Egyptian Omar Mosaad earned an unexpected place in the final of the Abierto Mexicano de Raquetas - but had to fight back from two games down to end fellow non-seed Simon Rosner's run in Mexico.
The PSA World Tour International 70 squash championship is the biggest Tour event ever to be held in Mexico - and is being staged in spectacular style on an all-glass court sited in the Plaza de los Martires in Toluca, overlooked by the city's historic cathedral
World No11 Mosaad claimed his place in the semi-finals after upsetting Cairo compatriot Karim Darwish, the event's No2 seed.
But it was German number one Rosner, the new world No16, who had the initial upper hand in the semi - before Mosaad held his nerve in the next three games to take them all by a two-point margin to win 9-11, 7-11, 11-9, 11-9, 11-9 after 75 minutes.
Celebrating his 19th appearance in a Tour final, Mosaad now faces favourite Gregory Gaultier.
The world No3 lined up against No4 seed Peter Barker - against whom he boasted a pre-match 9/2 head-to-head advantage, but to whom he lost in their most recent clash in the British Open in May.
But Frenchman Gaultier rapidly notched up his his tenth win - and made amends for his recent defeat to the Englishman by despatching Barker 11-1, 11-4, 11-1 in 37 minutes to reach his third successive PSA Tour final in less than four weeks.
Gaultier, winner of the NetSuite Open in San Francisco two weeks ago, looks to be in the form of his life - and, never having lost before to Mosaad, should confidently expect to convert the 48th Tour final of his career into his 22nd title.
RESULTS: PSA International 70 Abierto Mexicano de Raquetas, Toluca, Mexico
Semi-finals:
[1] Gregory Gaultier (FRA) bt [4] Peter Barker (ENG) 11-1, 11-4, 11-1 (37m)
Omar Mosaad (EGY) bt Simon Rosner (GER) 9-11, 7-11, 11-9, 11-9, 11-9 (75m)
For all the latest Tour news: www.psaworldtour.com