Rotterdam
\n De Minaur downs Auger-Aliassime for Rotterdam title: ‘Third time lucky!’<\/p>\n
Australian erases two previous final defeats, wins first indoor trophy<\/p>\n
February 15, 2026<\/p>\n
Alyssa van Heyst<\/p>\n
Alex de Minaur wins his first title at the ABN AMRO Open in Rotterdam.
\n By Jerome Coombe<\/p>\n
Persistence eventually paid off for Alex de Minaur<\/a> at the ABN AMRO Open<\/a> on Sunday.<\/p>\n The top-seeded Australian fittingly produced his sharpest performance of the week to defeat Felix Auger-Aliassime<\/a> 6-3, 6-2 and secure his maiden indoor title at the ATP 500 event. De Minaur fell in the past two Rotterdam finals, but he was crisp and clinical in all departments against Auger-Aliassime, who required an off-court medical timeout midway through the second set.<\/p>\n Going home with some new hardware \ud83c\udfc6@abnamroopen<\/a> | #abnamroopen<\/a> | @alexdeminaur<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/9wyZxSPPuD<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 ATP Tour (@atptour) February 15, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s what it\u2019s all about: just doing my best to rise to the occasion,\u201d De Minaur said of his final performance, in which he did not face a break point, according to Infosys ATP Stats. \u201cAs the tournament goes on, you try and find ways out of solutions and try to give yourself the best chance to play better the following day, and I did exactly that. I\u2019m super pleased with the performance today.<\/p>\n \u201cThird time lucky… I\u2019m super stoked, super happy. It ended up being a great week here in Rotterdam. It\u2019s a place where I always feel really good. I was just a step short in the previous years, so it feels great to finally be able to lift the title.”<\/p>\n Auger-Aliassime was on an eight-match winning streak having lifted the title in Montpellier last week. The Canadian was targeting a ninth career indoor title to further strengthening his reputation as one of the most dangerous players under a roof. De Minaur, however, has been a consistent force at ATP 500 level in recent years, and his title charge in the Rotterdam final proved too much for the Canadian.<\/p>\n \u201cCongrats to Alex and your team,\u201d Auger-Aliassime said during the trophy presentation. \u201cWe\u2019ve played a lot of matches throughout the years\u2026 I tried my best today, but you were just a little bit too good. [It\u2019s your] third time in the final here, so congrats on the win.\u201d<\/p>\n ATP 500 Win Leaders (since the start of 2023)\n<\/p>\n After a cagey start between the tournament\u2019s top two seeds, the final ignited in the sixth game of the opening set when De Minaur struck two inspired winners to earn the decisive break \u2014 the first time Auger-Aliassime\u2019s serve had been breached since his second-round win over Stan Wawrinka<\/a> in Montpellier.<\/p>\n De Minaur carried his momentum into the second set and broke again in the fifth game, stepping inside the baseline and dictating rallies with increased aggression. Shortly after, Auger-Aliassime left the court for medical treatment and returned looking short of his usual explosiveness. De Minaur sensed his opportunity and remained ruthless, closing out the match to reduce his Lexus ATP Head2Head deficit against the Canadian to 2-3.<\/p>\n With his 78-minute win, De Minaur also jumped two spots to No. 6 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n