Geoff Ogilvy was moving in on his third World Golf Championships - Accenture Match Play final in four years as he took an early lead in his semi-final with Stewart Cink.
The Australian, winner of the event in 2006 and runner-up in 2007, was one up on American Cink - last year's losing finalist - after nine holes at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club.
Cink had earlier in the day defeated Ernie Els 2 and 1 in the quarter-finals, while Ogilvy had ended the run of 19 year old Northern Irishman Rory McIlroy with a 2 and 1 win.
In the all English semi-final between Paul Casey and Ross Fisher, Casey held a narrow one up lead over his compatriot after nine holes.
Only one Englishman had previously reached the last four of this event, with Ian Poulter appearing in the semis in 2005.
Casey's 4 and 3 win over American Sean O'Hair at the desert course near Tucson and Fisher's 2 and 1 victory over US Ryder Cup hero Justin Leonard ensured a first English finalist.
Cink found trouble off the first tee, his drive right finding sandy scrubland and a row of bushes between him and the fairway. His second shot sideways found one of those bushes, and the American eventually conceded the hole - having taken a drop.
He recovered at the fourth with a birdie to get back to all square but then bogeyed the par four fifth to slip back to one down.
Fisher, who had beaten three Americans - Pat Perez, Jim Furyk and Leonard - en route to the last four, bogeyed the par four opening hole before matching Casey shot for shot over the next four holes.
The tournament had moved higher into the foothills of the Tortolita mountains from The Gallery Club, its home of the previous two years - and Casey, like Ogilvy an Arizona resident in Scottsdale, had played a practice round with the Australian two weeks before the tournament in order to familiarise himself with the new course.
It was certainly paying dividends, with Casey having not fallen behind in any of his previous matches and going further ahead when Fisher bogeyed the seventh to go two down.
McIlroy - in his first tournament as a professional in the United States - was not downhearted, despite being unable to continue his excellent form beyond the quarter-finals.
"Geoff played incredibly well, and I needed to get birdies. But it just wasn't enough in the end," said McIlroy.
"But I can take a lot out of this week. I played well and I've held my own against some of the best players in the world, so it's been good."
