De Minaur knocks off another big name to make Sydney final

Alex de Minaur is through to his second-straight Sydney International decider after blitzing another big-name opponent.

The Aussie young gun was too good for Gilles Simon, winning 6-3 6-2 in their semi-final on Saturday.

After the match was postponed from the previous night due to rain, de Minaur has just five hours to rest up and recover before his final against Andreas Seppi.

The 19-year-old Australian assumed control of the match in hot conditions when he broke World No.31 Simon in his first service game, before wrapping up the match in 94 minutes.

“It was pretty brutal conditions. It’s probably the hottest day we’ve had and very humid as well – long rallies and pretty taxing,” de Minaur said.

“I’ll probably jump in the ice bath … and get some food into me and then maybe have a nap to try and refresh.

“But this is what I do the hard work for, to go out there and back it up. I’m going to do everything in my power to come back in the final and leave it all out there.”

The Australian teenager never looked in danger against Simon, setting up the win with his typical court coverage and wonderful poise and control.

At one point in the sixth game, he retrieved two-straight smashes from his 34-year-old opponent, before Simon put his next attempted winner long.

He wrapped up the first set with a gutsy hold on his own serve from a game that lasted 10 minutes, before he won the final four games of the second set to claim the match.

A tournament win in Sydney would be de Minaur’s first on the world tour, after he reached two senior finals last year and lost both, as well as the Next Gen decider in Italy.

Seppi, also 34, is playing in his first final in three-and-a-half years after beating Argentine Diego Schwartzman on Friday, having not won a tournament since 2012.