Australian Bernard Tomic will face defending champion Ivo Karlovic in the Bogota ATP final after edging Victor Estrella 7-6 (7/2) 6-7 (5/7) 7-6 (7/5) in Saturday’s semi-final.
Tomic’s appearance in Sunday’s final as a wildcard comes three days after he split with global management company IMG with reports blaming the divorce on concerns over his off-court behaviour.
This is the 21-year-old’s first ATP final since January’s Sydney International.
“It’s always very tough when I play Victor, he’s a fighter,” said the Australian.
“I knew it was going to be a hard match, I tried to stay focussed on my serve and get the win.
“Now I’m going for the title,” added the Wimbledon quarter-finalist as a qualifier in 2011.
Karlovic beat Czech fourth seed Radek Stepanek 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 in the second semi-final.
Tomic’s career has taken a downward turn since making the fourth round of the 2012 Australian Open, a decline which has seen his ATP ranking slip from 27 to a current 124.
He withdrew in the first round of the Australian Open against Rafael Nadal and underwent double hip surgery shortly afterwards and then suffered a record 26-minute defeat on his comeback event at Miami.
Last year, his father John was banned from attending the French Open, even as a paying spectator, after he was charged with assaulting his son’s hitting partner, Frenchman Thomas Drouet in Madrid.
