World number two Maria Sharapova advanced to her fourth Miami Masters final with a 4-6 6-2 6-4 win over an infuriated Caroline Wozniacki.
The Dane refused to shake the hand of umpire Kader Nouni following a disputed serve at 40-30 in the final game.
The official, correctly, overturned a linesman's call that Sharapova's second serve was out, but Wozniacki had no challenges left to review the decision.
The Russian will now face either Agnieszka Radwanska or Marion Bartoli.
Umpire Kader Nouni came to the fore after Sharapova's second serve was called out, a decision which would have forced deuce in a set in which Wozniacki had fought back into contention from 5-2 down.
Sharapova had looked poised to challenge the linesman before the Frenchman interrupted.
As Wozniacki had already used the three challenges available to her in the set, she was unable to force the issue and the call could not be reviewed.
"I think when the ball is so close he should give her a chance to challenge at least when I do not have any challenges," said Wozniacki. "She was going to challenge it, anyways.
"So if it shows it is good, it is good. If it shows it is out, it is out. The ball was so close that it might as well have been out."
Wozniacki followed her handshake snub with an angry exchange of words with Nouni as she stormed off the court after her seventh career loss to Sharapova.
"I started off the match so well and then my concentration dropped a little bit and she started playing so much better. But I am happy I pulled it through," Sharapova said after she emerged victorious in two hours and 34 minutes.
Saturday's final is guaranteed a new winner as neither Sharapova, Bartoli, fresh from ending Victoria Azarenka's 26-match winning streak in Wednesday's quarter-final , or Radwanska, who has yet to drop a set in this tournament, have previously lifted the title.
In the men's quarter-finals, Juan Monaco of Argentina progressed on his 28th birthday with a 6-1 6-3 win against the last American in either singles draw, Mardy Fish.
World number one Novak Djokovic faces David Ferrer to decide the line-up of the other side of the semi-final draw after Britain's Andy Murray earlier progressed to meet Rafael Nadal.