'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Match details
Fixture: (8) Alex de Minaur vs Ugo Humbert
Date: 25 October 2020
Tournament: European Open 2020
Round: Final
Venue: Antwerp, Belgium
Category: ATP 250
Surface: Indoor hardcourt
Prize money: Approx. €394,800
Match timing: Not before 3.30 pm CEST, 7 pm IST
Live Telecast: USA - ESPN / Tennis Channel
Alex de Minaur vs Ugo Humbert preview
After a hard-fought victory over fourth seed Grigor Dimitrov in the Antwerp semifinals, Alex de Minaur will look to claim his fourth ATP title by beating Ugo Humbert in the final on Sunday.
De Minaur has played some brilliant tennis in the tournament so far. He kicked off his campaign with a three-set win over Richard Gasquet, and has been going from strength to strength ever since.
The 21-year-old from Sydney beat Feliciano Lopez and Marcos Giron in straight sets to progress to the semis. He even served a flawless bagel in his quarterfinal match against Giron.
In the last-four clash on Saturday, De Minaur was stretched to the limit by the higher-ranked Dimitrov. The first two sets went to tiebreakers, with each player winning one. But the Aussie managed to keep his nerve in the decider to clinch it 6-4.
Ugo Humbert meanwhile has played with a good amount of consistency all year. Before the COVID-19 break the Frenchman won the ASB Classic in New Zealand, and after the resumption of the tour he had a decent clay swing in Europe.
Although Humbert couldn't make much of an impression at St. Petersburg last week, the World No. 38 has made up for that failure by reaching the European Open final. His semifinal match against Dan Evans proved why Humbert has been so successful of late; the 22-year-old saved as many as four match points before eventually outlasting the Brit in three sets.
Alex de Minaur vs Ugo Humbert head-to-head
Alex de Minaur and Ugo Humbert have never crossed paths on the ATP tour before, so their head-to-head record currently stands at 0-0.
Alex de Minaur vs Ugo Humbert prediction
It is tough to pick a winner in this contest since both the youngsters have been mighty impressive in Antwerp so far. While Ugo Humbert seems to have mastered the art of saving break points, Alex de Minaur has made it a habit of lifting his game under pressure.
Both players would be tired too, considering the grueling tennis they have played over the last few days. That would probably be a bigger issue for De Minaur than Humbert, as the Aussie employs a more defensive and footwork-based style of play.
Humbert's biggest strength is his weight of shot; the Frenchman uses his lefty angles very well to put his opponents in uncomfortable positions. To counter that, De Minaur would need to prevent Humbert from getting into a baseline groove by being more attacking himself.
All things considered, there is very little to separate the two talented youngsters. But De Minaur might just have a slight edge given his superior big-stage experience.
Prediction: Alex de Minaur to win in three sets.
