Andy Murray produced some of his best tennis of the year to beat world number one Rafael Nadal and reach the final of the Rogers Cup in Toronto.
The Briton, defending his title in Canada, came through 6-3 6-4 to reach the final and guarantee that he will remain fourth in the world rankings.
Murray broke once in the first set and twice in the second as his aggressive tactics gave him the edge throughout.
Roger Federer reached the final with a 6-1 3-6 7-5 win over Novak Djokovic.
Murray had given notice that his form was good with an impressive display against David Nalbandian on Friday, ending the Argentine's 11-match winning streak in the quarter-finals.
But Nadal remained a daunting opponent, with the Spaniard having won eight of their previous 11 meetings including a straight-sets victory at Wimbledon last month.
 | I enjoy playing aggressive, especially against the best players Andy Murray |
Since arriving in North America, Murray has dispensed with the services of coach Miles Maclagan and spent much of his time with the media outlining his plans for a replacement.
However, he has also suggested that he is enjoying the new-found freedom and the more aggressive tactics that so many people have called for have been apparent in Toronto.
"This is a surface I'm most comfortable on," said Murray. "I enjoy playing aggressive, especially against the best players.
"I want to enjoy playing my game and expressing myself out on court. You never expect to beat the other top players. The margins are so thin.
"I go on court knowing that I have to play my best if I'm going to have a chance of beating them. I like playing Rafa on a hardcourt."
As early as the fourth game, Murray had Nadal on the back foot with some heavy groundstrokes only for the Spaniard's forehand to fend off a break point.
Nadal had two chances of his own in game eight but Murray seemed to relish the pressure, playing a magnificent forehand and a vicious sliced backhand to get out of trouble.
Murray then made the breakthrough in the following game as he again got the better of a long baseline exchange before serving out the set with ease.
The Scot was not making as many first serves as he had against Nalbandian - fewer than 50% throughout the match - but he was backing up his second serve with assertive second shots and constantly threatening the Nadal serve.
When he broke to lead 2-1 in the second set after recovering from 40-15 down, Murray looked on course for a straightforward win, but Nadal rarely hands over a victory.
A blistering forehand down the line, made all the more impressive by Hawkeye's replay showing it had just caught the line, helped him level at 3-3 and prompted a trademark leap and fist pump from the Spaniard.
After taking three games in a row Nadal earned two break points at 4-3, but a pumped-up Murray got back to deuce with a brave forehand down the line and regained control of the match.
