's-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands , 16 June 2024 | Vivienne Christie

Alex de Minaur will contest his third singles final this year, and a 17^th on the ATP Tour, at the Libema Open in ‘s-Hertogenbosch.

The Australian, seeded No.1 at a tournament for the first time in his career, defeated No.3 seed Ugo Humbert 7-6(4) 6-3 in the semifinals to advance.

It followed straight-sets wins this win week over Zizou Bergs and Milos Raonic, with De Minaur now preparing to face Sebastian Korda, the No.7 seed, for the chance to earn an ninth career title.

The victory ensures that De Minaur – who earned a top-10 breakthrough after his wins over Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev at the United Cup in his first event of 2024– will climb to a career-high world No.8 in the rankings.

Should he win the ATP 250 title, the 25-year-old will peak at world No.7.

De Minaur takes a 2-1 record into a fourth career meeting with Korda, including in their last two matches on tour.

https://twitter.com/atptour/status/1801972484326969707

Entering the final, he can draw confidence from navigating a difficult match with the crafty Humbert.

After racing to a 4-0 lead, De Minaur required all his guile and court-craft against the left-hander. The Frenchman claimed five straight games before the Aussie regained momentum, going on to claim the first set in a tiebreak.

Showcasing his usual athleticism, De Minaur increasingly turned defence into attack at key moments. He closed out a more straightforward second set after securing a break of serve in the eighth game.

“I was able to just sneak that first set and then happy with the break at the end and happy to be here,” said De Minaur, who finished the one-hour, 44-minute encounter with 17 winners against 11 errors and converted three of the 10 break point opportunities he created.

Also a finalist this year in Rotterdam and Acapulco (where he seized is eighth career title), De Minaur is aiming to add to the grass-court trophy he claimed at Eastbourne in 2021.

“At the end of the day it’s just tennis,” De Minaur said. “You run for that yellow ball from one side to the other. You try to have fun and yeah, I’m definitely enjoying myself here on the grass, so I’m very happy with that.”

Aussies in action – ‘s-Hertogenbosch

RESULTS
Men’s singles, semifinals
[1] Alex de Minaur (AUS) d [3] Ugo Humbert (FRA) 7-6(4) 6-3

COMING UP
Men’s singles, final
[1] Alex de Minaur (AUS) v [7] Sebastian Korda (USA)