By Marc McGowan
Alex de Minaur is edging closer but will have to wait to finally celebrate his first victory over Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner.
Facing his Italian nemesis for the seventh time – this time in the ATP 500 Rotterdam final – de Minaur pushed him to the limit in an engrossing opening set before losing 7-5, 6-4 in a high-quality affair on Sunday night (local time).
Jannik Sinner (left) with the winner’s trophy after beating Alex de Minaur in the men’s singles final in Rotterdam.Credit: Getty Images
Sinner’s ability to respond every time the 25-year-old Australian challenged him was ultimately the difference.
“I want to congratulate Jannik and his team [for] what you’ve done, not only this week, but this whole year. It’s great to see, and it couldn’t happen to a better guy,” de Minaur said.
“I told him jokingly if he’s going to lose a match this year, which I’m not too sure. He’s playing at an incredible level, and too good [today] – I’ll get you back next time.
“I want to say thank you to my team, my family, my friends, for all the support throughout the years. We’re slowly getting where we want to be, [this is] another big step in the right direction, and we’re going to fight for bigger and better things.”
De Minaur will still return to the top 10 at a career-high ranking of No.9 despite the defeat and is playing the best tennis of his life – but he is yet to solve the Sinner riddle.
Sinner is also into new territory, leapfrogging the man he beat in the Melbourne Park final three weeks ago, Daniil Medvedev, to become the highest-ranked Italian ever at No.3.
He joins the likes of Roger Federer, Andy Murray, Yevgeny Kafelnikov, Boris Becker, Stefan Edberg, Bjorn Borg and Jimmy Connors in capturing the Rotterdam title.
“Every time when you win a title; it doesn’t really matter how big the title is – it means a lot,” Sinner said.
“For sure, I had a bit more attention [since winning the Australian Open], but you have to deal with that, and I felt like I was trying just to put 100 per cent effort into everything I’ve done ... and it’s going to start again from zero [when I next play] in Indian Wells.
“Every tournament is special for me. I try to win as many matches as possible, and I will see what I can catch in the future.”
De Minaur was bidding to become the first Australian winner at Rotterdam’s indoor hardcourt event since Lleyton Hewitt two decades ago.
He adopted the same baseline-hugging approach as in his last meeting with Sinner in the Davis Cup final in November but was able to sustain his effort for longer this time around.
On that occasion, Sinner absorbed de Minaur’s early blows before racing away to an emphatic triumph.
With his mother Esther and siblings in the stands, de Minaur played some inspired tennis and regularly stepped inside the baseline to take the initiative and rob his rival of precious time.
That aggressive style helped him repeatedly place Sinner under pressure early in the contest, only for the newly crowned grand slam champion to unleash timely big serves.
But de Minaur faltered on serve in the fifth game – concluding with a drop shot into the net that was only wrong in its execution – to hand Sinner a pressure-relieving break, and he served for a one-set lead at 5-4.
A set point came and went, with de Minaur scrapping and clawing his way back in a breathtaking 15-minute game. He secured the break back with a change-of-direction forehand that left a diving Sinner on his back to end an incredible 34-shot rally.
The Aussie undid his good work in the next game with an ill-advised decision at the net to leave a Sinner backhand that clipped the baseline. Sinner clinched the first set in 64 minutes.
De Minaur had two chances to go 3-1 up in the second set, but the Italian survived another elongated service game, before capitalising on a pair of double faults from his rival to break him from 40-15.
However, nothing came easy for Sinner on this day. He slipped to 0-40, and the set was level again two points later, when de Minaur crunched a short ball for a forehand winner.
What could have been a turning point instead became another platform for Sinner, who hit 23 winners to de Minaur’s 20, to demonstrate his ability to lift in the biggest moments.
He put de Minaur on the back foot immediately with a cross-court backhand winner and went on to break him again – and this time kept his foot on the pedal.
De Minaur now moves his attention to the Los Cabos and Acapulco events in Mexico, the latter of which he is the defending champion at.
‘I’ve raised the bar’: De Minaur’s giant-slaying run in Rotterdam
Alex de Minaur continues to make a strong case as the most in-form player outside the current Big Four, sweeping aside Grigor Dimitrov in a “flawless” display to reach the Rotterdam final.
The red-hot Australian beat Dimitrov 6-4, 6-3 in their semi-final on his 25th birthday to advance to his fifth ATP 500 decider. He will next renew acquaintances with Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner in their seventh career meeting.
Alex de Minaur is through to the Rotterdam final.Credit: Getty Images
De Minaur won his sole ATP 500 title in Acapulco, Mexico, about this time last year and boasts seven titles overall.
Fourth-ranked Sinner has never lost to the “Demon” and dropped just one set, so the world No.11 – who is guaranteed to rise to a career-high ranking of No.9 regardless of the result in the final – has a mighty challenge ahead.
“I’m extremely happy with my level throughout the whole match. It was probably one of the better matches I’ve played, from start to finish,” de Minaur said.
“Even saying that, I always know Grigor is going to lift his level and compete until the end, and I had to fight off some pretty tough break points, which I came up with some of my best tennis, so I think that was the key today. I managed to hold on to my serve in key moments, and I live to fight another day.”
De Minaur serves against Grigor Dimitrov.Credit: Getty Images
De Minaur has been in outstanding form this week, also eliminating Seb Korda, David Goffin and Andrey Rublev, who rallied from two sets to one down against him to win their fourth-round clash at last month’s Australian Open.
He also reached an exhibition final last week in Oslo, Norway, as part of the fast-paced, abbreviated Ultimate Tennis Showdown Tour, going down to Rublev on that occasion.
De Minaur’s Rotterdam Open quarter-final victory over Rublev was his fourth top-10 scalp this year, including world No.1 Novak Djokovic, Alex Zverev and Taylor Fritz, and 10th since the start of the 2023 season.
That rich vein of form is part of why he described himself as “night and day a different player” after exiting this year’s Australian Open in heartbreaking fashion.
Rublev and de Minaur embrace at the net after their Australian Open clash last month.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen
Dimitrov saved two match points to defeat de Minaur in the Rotterdam quarter-finals last year, coincidentally on the Sydneysider’s 24th birthday, but he could not trump him this time around.
De Minaur broke the Bulgarian to start both sets and staved off three break points himself, hitting 17 winners while committing only four unforced errors in a brilliant performance.
He can move into fifth spot in the ATP Race, based purely on this year’s results, if he can topple Sinner for the first time. The Race determines which players qualify for the end-of-year ATP Finals in Turin, Italy.
Grand slam champions Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev and Sinner are entrenched at the top of the men’s tour, but de Minaur’s consistently excellent results across the past 13 months, in particular, have positioned him in the debate to be considered the best of the rest.
Sinner defeated de Minaur in his maiden Masters 1000 final in Toronto last year before routing him in the Davis Cup final in November, but he retains supreme respect for his rival.
De Minaur said his positive mentality was a big reason for his success this week, which he believed was important in “a long year”.
“You have weeks when it might be a little tougher to be very positive all the time, but from the word go here in Rotterdam, I felt [really good],” he said.
“I’ve been calm and collected throughout all the matches and … this [must be] my standard, right? This is what I have to bring every single time I walk on the court, and that’s how I’ll play my best tennis.
“I’ve made a big step in the right direction, and I’m showing the type of tennis I can play, week in and week out. I think I’ve raised the bar a little bit, and hopefully, there’s plenty more to go.”
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