Alex de Minaur has become the first man ever to reach three consecutive finals at the Rotterdam Open after a display which showcased Australia's lionheart at his most resolute and resilient.
In a real semi-final slog during which he managed to save all 10 of the break points he faced, the world No.8 was able to outlast dangerous French left-hander Ugo Humbert 6-4 6-3 on Saturday to move in sight of his 11th ATP title and his first indoors.
De Minaur, who lost in the last two Rotterdam final showdowns to Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, will this time meet either Felix Auger-Aliassime or Alexander Bublik on Sunday in his bid to become Australia's first victor in the celebrated ATP 500 tournament's 54-year history since Lleyton Hewitt back in 2004.
"I'm super proud of the effort," declared the 26-year-old, who's been enjoying a landmark week as the first man since Roger Federer to make five-straight quarter-finals and since Tom Okker to reach three consecutive semis in Rotterdam.
"Again, a lot of tough moments, a lot of break points, a lot of tricky situations, but I managed to kind of dig myself out of them. Yeah, super pumped to give myself another chance of hopefully getting the title."
It was an afternoon when all of de Minaur's patience and speedy defensive nous was on show, as he was unable to hit his way through Humbert in the slow conditions on the Ahoy Arena hard-court and managed to hit only three winners all match.
But while the French world No.36 looked to have more firepower, each time he gleaned an opening, de Minaur shut down the break points with the help of fine serving. When he got his own chance, though, the Australian was ruthless, converting three of his four break points.
It was a victory, most of all, for 'Demon's' rock-solidity, with Humbert feeling as if he had run into a brick wall, such was the quality of his defending.
The stats suggest the Frenchman made 40 'unforced' errors, but de Minaur's sheer consistency from the back of the court must have preyed on his mind.
"It's hard to get a lot of rhythm against him," admitted de Minaur. "It's hard to really feel comfortable, so a lot today was just about trying to be solid, trying to make that extra ball, to keep asking questions.
"It's not every match you get the chance to be aggressive, and today was certainly one where I was not able to do that, but hey, I found a way. And on to the next."
Having lost to the best two players on the planet in his previous finals, he could afford to feel a bit more confident this year - and he reckons he'll leave nothing out there.
"The plan is to go for the title. No regrets. Whatever happens tomorrow happens, go for it," said de Minaur, who'll be featuring in his 20th ATP final.
"I don't want to leave the court thinking about the 'what ifs'. Ultimately, these are the types of matches you go to to win the title and not hope the other player loses it, and that's going to be my mindset."
