Alex de Minaur has booked his place in the final of the European Open with a hard-fought 7-6(4) 6-7(3) 6-4 triumph over fourth-seed Grigor Dimitrov in Antwerp.
The Australian No.1 will face Ugo Humbert for the title, after the Frenchman saved four match points to overcome Britain’s Dan Evans 4-6 7-6(7) 6-4.
De Minaur weathered some blistering shot-making from his Bulgarian opponent to triumph in two hours and 48 minutes.
When De Minaur broke for a 4-3 lead in the decider, the 21-year-old looked on course for victory, but Dimitrov broke back to love only to make three groundstroke errors at 4-4 and leave De Minaur to serve for the match.
It will be the Australian’s first tour-level final in 12 months – since 2019’s Swiss Indoors in Basel – and his seventh overall (3-3 record).
His final opponent Humbert is the fourth Frenchman to reach the Antwerp final since the tournament started in 2016.
He will be looking to follow in the footsteps of Richard Gasquet and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who won the title in 2016 and 2017 respectively.
Australia’s John Peers has reached the finals of the men’s doubles after he and partner Michael Venus, from New Zealand, won their semi-final against Sander Arends and Pablo Andujar 6-3 6-4.