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The final of the 2020 ASB Classic in Auckland will be contested by two Frenchmen, as Benoit Paire plays compatriot Ugo Humbert.
The pair will contest the championship match in New Zealand just 48 hours before the big battleground in Melbourne, and each of them will be looking to head to the first Grand Slam of the year in positive spirits.
Fifth-seeded Paire played his fourth straight three-setter of the week, this time overcoming the challenge of fast-rising Pole Hubert Hurkacz in the semifinals.
The mercurial Frenchman was given a point penalty in the second set tiebreak which ultimately gifted the set to Hurkacz, after he became increasingly agitated by spectators shouting between points. He had already been given a code violation earlier in the contest and his frustrations reached boiling point when he trailed 1-6 in the tiebreak after serving a double fault.
However, the 30-year-old rebounded spectacularly in the third set, earning two breaks of serve and sealing the match 6-4 6-7 6-2.
Paire's opponent will be the highly talented youngster Ugo Humbert, who achieved a career-first in reaching the showpiece final in Auckland. The unheralded Humbert also did what no other player was able to pull off this week - tame the John Isner serve.
The 21-year-old broke the American's monstrous serve in the second set and it was telling, as he dug out an impressive 7-6 6-4 win against the two-time ASB Classic champion. The man from Metz has now thwarted two of the highest seeds in the tournament (he also beat Denis Shapovalov) en route to his first-ever tour-level final.
Head-to-head
Paire 1-0 Humbert
The two players have met once on tour and it was Paire who won - at Winston-Salem last autumn.
Where to watch
The match is scheduled to start at 14:30 local time (Auckland), 02:30 am BST.
You can watch the match live on Tennis TV.
Match prediction
Paire is as unpredictable as they come, and his spectacular meltdown in the semis almost cost him the match. But he managed to regroup in the third set and comfortably eased his way to the final.
Paire is likely to rely on his experience and confidence of fighting through adversity (he won all his matches in three sets), but Humbert has been terrific all week. The unseeded youngster has dropped only one set en route to his first ATP Final, and has overcome some stern tests along the way.
Expect the 21-year-old to defy the odds and pick his maiden ATP title.
Prediction: Ugo Humbert to win in three sets.
