Alex De Minaur reaches Sydney final
Australian teen sensation Alex De Minaur has won through to the Sydney International final with a three-set victory over Frenchman Benoit Paire.
De Minaur, 18, lost the first set but bounced back to thrash his more senior opponent 4-6 6-1 6-1 in one hour and 50 minutes at Ken Rosewall Arena on Friday night.
The Sydneysider will play qualifier Daniil Medvedev tomorrow night in his first ATP tour final -- immediately after Queenslander Ash Barty competes in her own maiden final, against former world No.1 Angelique Kerber.
De Minaur is Sydney's youngest finalist since Lleyton Hewitt won in 2000 at the same age, and this latest display showcased a prodigious tenacity and persistence not unlike that of his mentor.
"The first thing I would like to say is thanks to this amazing crowd," he said.
"You guys are honestly -- they honestly got me through this match. I was a set down with not a lot of belief in me."
INSPIRATIONAL: Hewitt's fighting words to inspire DeMinaur
De Minaur was nimble and creative and pulled off some spectacular shots, attacking Paire's forehand in a bid to frustrate.
Amid a slew of long rallies, the pair held serve until 4-4 but de Minaur was the first to crack, going a break down after an error-ridden game before conceding the opening set.
The local returned with a vengeance in the second, breaking Paire to love to take a 3-1 lead and, for good measure, taking the next game to love too.
As De Minaur's grip tightened on the match, Paire's mental grasp slackened and the unforced errors piled up.
De Minaur was lucky with a net cord to break again and serve out the second set.
In the third, he was made to endure six deuces to hold one particularly gruelling service game but still won 11 of the last 12 games and, after being denied two match points, converted the third.
De Minaur, who reached the semi-finals of the Brisbane International last week, is due to start his Australian Open campaign on Tuesday against No.19 seed Tomas Berdych.
The teenager began the year as the world No.208 but could enter the grand slam ranked just outside the top 100.
Six of his seven wins to kick off 2018 have come against players ranked inside the top 50.
with AAP