By Marc McGowan
Australia’s Alex de Minaur will climb to an equal-career-high ranking of No.6 despite a hard-fought defeat to four-time grand slam champion Carlos Alcaraz in the Rotterdam Open final.
De Minaur contested the ATP 500 final in the Netherlands for the second straight year after losing a competitive two-setter to dual Australian Open winner Jannik Sinner 12 months ago.
Alex de Minaur and Carlos Alcaraz embrace post-match after their three-set final in Rotterdam.Credit: AP
The 25-year-old, who will leapfrog Novak Djokovic and Daniil Medvedev in the rankings to return to where he was after Wimbledon last year, entered the Alcaraz showdown bidding to become the first Australian to win the Rotterdam title since Lleyton Hewitt 21 years ago.
Hewitt coincidentally beat Alcaraz’s coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero, in three sets to claim the title.
De Minaur looked in a good position when he raced through the second set with some excellent returning and slashing forehands, but former world No.1 Alcaraz steadied to complete a 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 triumph that secured him his maiden indoor title.
It was still a productive week for de Minaur, who reached his 18th tour-level final while battling both illness and a field containing six of the best 13 men’s players in the world.
He also hinted he was dealing with some sort of foot issue.
“It’s a week to be very proud of, considering the way I’ve been feeling all week off the court,” de Minaur said.
“I’ve definitely been struggling, so I’m happy with the effort, the level, [and] I thought I definitely had some chances today, and maybe could have done a little bit more in certain moments, but he played well in those exact moments and deserved to win.
“These are ultimately the matches I want to be playing, and of course, I want to be winning these matches. I believe I can win these matches.”
De Minaur had his chances in the final set against Alcaraz.Credit: AP
This result follows de Minaur’s career-best run to the Australian Open quarter-finals last month before he led his country past Sweden in Stockholm in the opening round of the Davis Cup.
There is a different level of pressure on him this year as he attempts to back up his breakout 2024 season.
De Minaur made his top-10 debut last year, reached three grand slam quarter-finals and won a second ATP 500 title in Acapulco, in what was the best season by an Australian man since Hewitt two decades earlier.
A serious hip injury suffered in his fourth-round Wimbledon victory over Arthur Fils prevented de Minaur from playing Djokovic in the quarter-finals and challenging for a top-five ranking – but that remains a major goal.
De Minaur also lost his two prior clashes with Alcaraz, but is more competitive with the Spaniard than Sinner, including holding two consecutive match points against him in the Barcelona semi-finals three years ago.
This was their second final against one another after Alcaraz edged de Minaur out at Queen’s Club on grass in 2023.
“It’s definitely a better match-up for me, playing Carlos,” de Minaur said.
“I feel, in ways, I can rush him a little bit. I can pin him and hurt him, and make his life uncomfortable, but I haven’t really managed to do that against Jannik yet ... I definitely fancied my chances today against Carlos. I got close, it didn’t go my way, but hopefully, next time I’ll get the win.”
Four-time grand slam champion Alcaraz celebrates his Rotterdam title win.Credit: AP
The first set of the Rotterdam final flew by in 34 minutes, and ended disappointingly for de Minaur, who broke Alcaraz back to level it four-all, only to drop serve again in the next game.
But the match soon swung in de Minaur’s favour as he produced consecutive brilliant returns centimetres inside the baseline to break for a 2-0 lead in the second set.
He had two further break points to go 4-0 up, but Alcaraz, dressed in a sleeveless Nike top, wriggled out of trouble both times and then threatened to reel in his deficit.
Down break point, de Minaur caned a forehand winner – one of five off that wing in the second set – to get back to deuce before thundering down a 211km/h first serve on his way to a 5-2 advantage he did not relinquish.
The final set was the most competitive of the lot, particularly once the Australian brushed off an early break point.
Alcaraz twice slipped to 15-30 on serve – tugging a crosscourt backhand wide off the net cord on the first occasion, then nervously fluffing a routine volley on the next – but battled back to hold each time.
Those escapes proved crucial for the Spanish superstar, who made his move in the sixth game.
Alcaraz produced some outstanding defence before blasting an inside-out forehand that an outstretched de Minaur could not handle to slump to 0-30, then thumped a backhand return winner to bring up two break points.
The break came via a de Minaur error, steering a makeable backhand wide to as good as seal his fate.