Former world number one Daniil Medvedev became the first player since 1981 to reach a fifth consecutive ATP final after beating fellow Russian Karen Khachanov in the Miami semi-finals.
Medvedev, 27, was not at his very best but wore down his childhood friend Khachanov to win 7-6 (7-5) 3-6 6-3.
Medvedev, who emulated Ivan Lendl’s run 42 years ago, will play Carlos Alcaraz or Jannik Sinner for the title.
Later, Czech Petra Kvitova beat Sorana Cirstea to reach the women’s final.
Two-time Wimbledon champion Kvitova, 33, won 7-5 6-4 to end the Romanian world number 74’s surprise run.
Kvitova, who fought back from facing two set points at 5-4 in the opener, faces Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina in Saturday’s final and will aim to end the Kazakh’s 13-match winning streak.
Medvedev ‘happy’ at Wimbledon decision
On the day when Wimbledon lifted its ban on Russian and Belarusian players, one Russian was guaranteed to reach the final of the prestigious Masters tournament in Miami.
Medvedev moved into Sunday’s final at the expense of 26-year-old Khachanov, with the victory coming hours after the announcement by the All England Club.
The pair are among the players from the two nations allowed to compete again at SW19 – after missing last year’s Championships following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – providing they sign a declaration of neutrality.
“I’m happy to know about this. I always said that if I can play Wimbledon, I will be really happy to be there,” said Medvedev, who won his only major title to date at the 2021 US Open.
“It’s a tournament I love. That’s the only Slam where I haven’t been in the quarters yet. And I cannot say I hate grass. I really want to do well there.”
Medvedev is a hard-court specialist and reached another final on the surface – though the first of his career in Miami – by edging past Khachanov.
A tight match featured a tie-break to decide the first set, followed by single breaks of serve in the second and third, as fourth seed Medvedev earned his 23rd win in his past 24 matches.
Medvedev won consecutive titles in Rotterdam, Doha and Dubai before losing in the Indian Wells final to Spanish world number one Alcaraz.
Medvedev will have an opportunity in Miami to avenge that defeat if 19-year-old Alcaraz beats Italian 10th seed Sinner – a repeat of their Indian Wells semi-final – later on Friday (00:00 BST, Saturday morning).
