Alex de Minaur has emulated Aussie tennis legend Lleyton Hewitt after winning the Rotterdam Open at the third time of asking in a superb final against Felix Auger-Aliassime. The Aussie World No.8 clinched his first ever indoor title with a dominant 6-3 6-2 win against the Canadian World No.6.
It was the 11th ATP Tour title for de Minaur and comes 12 years after his mentor Hewitt became the last Aussie man to lift the trophy in Rotterdam. But de Minaur had to play some of his best tennis against a red-hot Auger-Aliassime, who came into the tournament after winning the Montpellier Open the week before.
Alex de Minaur emulated 2004 champion Lleyton Hewitt by becoming just the second Aussie to win the Rotterdam Open title. Pic: Getty
The Canadian’s serve had been previously unbreakable, with Auger-Aliassime stretching his run to 78 consecutive games without being broken. But for the first time in 79 games, the World No.6 was unable to rely on his serve as a ruthless de Minaur went about dismantling his opponent.
The Aussie grabbed the decisive break in the sixth game to go up 4-2, before taking out the opening stanza to put one hand on the trophy. His level went up another gear in the second as de Minaur took just 77 minutes to become only the second Australian winner in the prestigious tournament’s 54-year history.
“I mean, third time lucky,” he said after finishing runner-up at the last two Rotterdam Open tournaments. “I’m so super happy. It ended up being a great week here, a place where I always feel really, really good. I was just a step short the previous years, so it feels great to finally be able to lift the title.”
Alex de Minaur wins Rotterdam title at third time of asking
De Minaur made history as the first player to make it to three-straight finals in Rotterdam. But he finally got the monkey off his back by going one better this time after playing some of the best tennis of his career.
De Minaur never let the 25-year-old indoor specialist settle as he dictated the baseline exchanges and attacked when the opportunity presented itself. But the Aussie still had to rely on his trademark court coverage and defence, pulling off a couple of outrageous passes to finally crack the Canadian’s serve.
The relentless assault gave Auger-Aliassime little chance to showcase the blistering form he’d been in during the lead-up to the final. And the Canadian admitted the level from his Aussie opponent was simply a cut above in the title decider.
Alex de Minaur (R) beat Felix Auger-Aliassime (L) in the Rotterdam Open final to become just the second Aussie man to win the indoor tournament. Pic: Getty
(Alex Bierens de Haan via Getty Images)
“For sure, it was my best tennis of the week, and that’s what it’s all about, just doing my best to rise up to the occasion,” said de Minaur, who ended up with three breaks but didn’t give up a single break point on his own delivery. “Every day I got better, and I’m super pleased with the performance,” he added.
Auger-Aliassime needed treatment for an apparent hip problem towards the end of the match as his eight-win streak looked to have taken its toll. But it didn’t detract from what was an exceptional display from de Minaur, who has now won more ATP 500 matches than anyone (53) since the start of 2023.
De Minaur’s 11th ATP triumph puts him joint-sixth alongside Mark Philippoussis and Pat Rafter in the all-time Australian men’s list during the Open era. And he’ll be hoping it proves a springboard for the rest of 2026 as the Aussie chases an elusive grand slam title.
with AAP