James Ward has boosted his chances of earning a place in the Great Britain side for the Davis Cup final after reaching the final of the Bangalore Challenger.
A disastrous loss of form during the summer resulted in Ward being dropped for the semi-final clash against Australia, but the 28-year-old has moved himself into pole position for a recall with his three-set victory against Daniel Nguyen.
Ward dropped the opening set to the world number 237, but he stormed back with three breaks of serve to secure a 4-6 6-4 6-3 triumph against the American.
Top seed Adrian Menendez-MacEiras awaits Ward in the final, with a win required to regain a place in the world's top 150.