Canadian starlet Felix Auger-Aliassime set up a Rotterdam Open final with Stefanos Tsitsipas after a gruelling three-set win over defending champion Andrey Rublev in the final four on Saturday.
Auger-Aliassime had already ended Great Britain's hopes of Rotterdam glory with victories over Andy Murray and Cameron Norrie but was forced to come back to end Rublev's hopes of back-to-back titles.
The Russian prevailed in a tense first-set tie-break before smashing his racket in frustration after conceding the second, and Auger-Aliassime claimed the vital breaks in the third to win 7-6 [7-5] 6-4 6-2.
Auger-Aliassime will now go in search of his first-ever ATP singles title at the ninth attempt, but a four-time Grand Slam semi-finalist in Tsitsipas is standing in his way after a very similar three-set semi-final win.
Qualifier Jiri Lehecka got the better of the Greek in the first set before Tsitsipas found his stride to win 4-6 6-4 6-2 and reach the Rotterdam Open final for the first time in his career.
Auger-Aliassime fell at the final hurdle to Gael Monfils in the 2020 Rotterdam Open, and the 21-year-old has already locked horns with Tsitsipas in an ATP singles final - going down in straight sets during the 2020 Open 13 in Marseille.
Ben Knapton
