Aussie Alex De Minaur is in great form and will be confident of securing a place in the final of the Sydney International when he faces Benoit Paire. Join The Roar for live scores and commentary from 8pm (AEDT).
At just 18 years of age, De Minaur is on course to qualify for a maiden ATP tour final, courtesy of some fine performances.
The young Australian has yet to drop a set in Sydney, defeating established players the likes of Fernando Verdasco and Feliciano Lopez. Furthermore, De Minaur has rarely looked flustered by his more experienced counterparts.
Paire’s style of play is characterised by its flashiness, unpredictability and at times inconsistency. His main strength is a double-handed backhand, known for its speed and spin.
He often uses topspin backhands crosscourt at great speed and acute angles to set up a powerful backhand down the line to finish off points. In contrast, Paire’s forehand is less powerful and consistent, particularly when played on the defence, to the extent that he’s been known to hit backhands inside-out.
The Frenchman is also known for his ability and willingness to play dropshots on both the forehand and backhand wing. When volleying, he favours drop over punching volleys, and hits them with extreme backspin – sometimes even causing the ball to spin back across the net.
Overall, the Frenchman is in good form, defeating reigning champion Gilles Muller in straight sets, and is coming off a 2017 season where he made the fourth round at Wimbledon and an ATP tour final at the Moselle Open.
Prediction
Paire can lose his way when faced with tenacious opposition, which perfectly describes De Minaur, and the Frenchman has already tasted defeat against the Australian on this very court.
If De Minaur continues to cover the court well and play aggressive, but percentage-based tennis, his form should be enough to see him into an ATP tour final.
De Minaur in straight sets.
Alan
Roar Guru
De Minaur is through to his maiden ATP tour final as he defeats Paire 4-6, 6-1, 6-1. De Minaur hung in very well after losing the first set, but it has to be noted that Paire dropped his level enormously as the match wore on, producing some poor unforced errors, particularly from the forehand side. De Minaur's level will have to improve if he hopes to beat another rising star in Russia's Daniil Medvedev. De Minaur though is now one match away from lifting his maiden ATP title at 18 years of age. The demon continues to fire! De Minaur 4 6 6 Paire 6 1 1
Alan
Roar Guru
GAME SET AND MATCH DE MINAUR De Minaur 4 6 6 Paire 6 1 1
Alan
Roar Guru
Match points for De Minaur. Paire has given this away to be honest De Minaur 4 6 5 Paire 6 1 1
Alan
Roar Guru
De Minaur with the forehand return winner as the finish line nears! Paire is down for the count here. De Minaur 4 6 5 Paire 6 1 1
Alan
Roar Guru
De Minaur holds as Paire continue to hit some poor shots. De Minaur 4 6 5 Paire 6 1 1
Alan
Roar Guru
30-15 De Minaur. De Minaur 4 6 4 Paire 6 1 1
Alan
Roar Guru
Paire with some good court coverage finishes the point off with the backhand slice. Not enough of that quality tonight. De Minaur 4 6 4 Paire 6 1 1
Scott Pryde
Expert
Yes De Minaur!
Alan
Roar Guru
Gee Paire has simply imploded tonight after winning the first set. Poor serving coupled with some basic unforced errors, particularly from the forehand side, has allowed De Minaur absolute control of this final set. De Minaur 4 6 4 Paire 6 1 1
Alan
Roar Guru
BREAK DE MINAUR De Minaur 4 6 4 Paire 6 1 1
Alan
Roar Guru
Break points De Minaur as Paire yet again hits some shocking forehand shots. De Minaur 4 6 3 Paire 6 1 1
Alan
Roar Guru
0-30 now as Paire loses his way again... De Minaur 4 6 3 Paire 6 1 1
Alan
Roar Guru
Game point yet again for De Minaur as he produces controlled percentage play under pressure. He holds with the ace! De Minaur 4 6 3 Paire 6 1 1
Alan
Roar Guru
Break point Paire as De Minaur nets the forehand... De Minaur 4 6 2 Paire 6 1 1
Alan
Roar Guru
Great backhand crosscourt from De Minaur and its game point. Paire responds with a great backhand of his own for deuce. De Minaur 4 6 2 Paire 6 1 1
Alan
Roar Guru
Game point De Minaur as Paire nets the forehand again. His forehand is very poor for a guy ranked inside the top 50. Deuce now. De Minaur 4 6 2 Paire 6 1 1
Alan
Roar Guru
15-30 Paire as De Minaur sends his volley wide. De Minaur 4 6 2 Paire 6 1 1
Alan
Roar Guru
Paire holds as De Minaur sends the forehand wide. Paire needed to hold there. De Minaur 4 6 2 Paire 6 1 1
Alan
Roar Guru
From 40-0 up, Its deuce as Paire just continues to drop his level and produce some poor errors. De Minaur 4 6 2 Paire 6 1 0
Alan
Roar Guru
De Minaur holds as Paire's forehand once again lets him down De Minaur 4 6 2 Paire 6 1 0