Alex de Minaur says he had to call on all his strengths to eke out a three-set victory over Belgium’s David Goffin and reach the final of the ATP season-starting Antalya Open.

Now the Australian No.1 has the chance to make it a perfect start to 2021 as he tackles the unpredictable Alexander Bublik in Wednesday morning’s final in Turkey.

De Minaur reached his eighth ATP Tour final on Tuesday by recording a second straight win over one of the game’s doughtiest players, second seed Goffin, 6-4 3-6 6-2 after a one hour 52 minute battle.

“I knew it was going to be a tough match, and I’d be under pressure when serving,” the tournament’s fourth seed de Minaur told the ATP’s official website.

“I had to reset and go back to my game plan and my strengths after I lost the second set. I won some tough rallies in the third set and that helped me out for sure.”

The 21-year-old de Minaur, who had a trophy-free 2020 after taking titles in 2019 at his hometown Sydney event, Atlanta and Zhuhai, will be facing Bublik for the first time after the Kazakhstan player beat Jeremy Chardy, of France, 6-4, 6-7 (7-5) 6-3 in the second semi-final.

“Alex can beat any player on any given day and he has lots of firepower,” said De Minaur, of the Kazakh who loves to go for his shots.

“So I will need to rest and prepare well ahead of the final.”

World No. 23 De Minaur broke serve immediately before going on to take the 43-minute first set, with Goffin unhappy his own slow start forced him to play catch-up.

“I didn’t start really well and I didn’t serve well at the beginning,” said the Belgian, who is working with a new coach Germain Gigounon.

“From 0-2 down, I didn’t lose my serve until 1-2 in the third set. It was much better, and I was playing well, more offensive.

“There were long points in the third set and it turned his way.”

The second set was the first dropped in the tournament by de Minaur, who has continued his fine end-of-2020 form in Europe.

His victory over Goffin is the perfect tonic ahead of next month’s Australian Open after he missed last year’s Grand Slam in Melbourne with an abdominal tear.