Victor Estrella Burgos reaches final, seeks third straight Ecuador title

Victor Estrella Burgos will be going for a three-peat at the Ecuador Open.

The 36-year-old Burgos reached the tournament final for a third consecutive year Saturday by outlasting fourth-seeded Thomaz Bellucci 7-6 (4), 7-6 (3) on the clay courts of Quito.

The two-time defending champion from Spain will square off with third-seeded Paolo Lorenzi of Italy in Sunday's championship match.

Burgos needed just over two hours to eliminate Bellucci in their third meeting in as many years in this event. Burgos beat Bellucci in a three-set final last year and ousted the Brazilian in the semifinals in 2015.

Despite having twice as many aces (8-4) as Burgos, Bellucci struggled with a first-serve percentage of 44 while committing seven double-faults against his nemesis.

Burgos, ranked No. 156 in the ATP Rankings, will face a daunting challenge in the final as Lorenzi has yet to drop a set.

Lorenzi had another easy match in his semifinal, winning the first five games against second-seeded Albert Ramos-Vinolas en route to a 6-1, 6-4 victory.

Lorenzi closed out the Spaniard in 72 minutes to advance to his third career singles final.