Taifoe reached the semi-finals of the US Open last monthFrances Tiafoe will face fellow American Taylor Fritz in the final of the Japan Open in Tokyo.
Tiafoe sealed the opening set of his semi-final in comfortable fashion but did not win a game in the second against South Korea's Kwon Soon-woo.
He then raised his game before completing a 6-2 0-6 6-4 victory.
Fritz was involved in a hard-fought match against Canada's Denis Shapovalov in the other semi-final, but emerged a 6-3 6-7 (5-7) 6-3 winner.
Tiafoe, who was beaten by eventual winner Carlos Alcaraz in the semi-finals of the US Open in September, said: "It was a weird match, but happy to get through.
"In these kind of matches, it's not always going be pretty, it's not always going be your best stuff, but a win is what matters."
