De Minaur gets third time lucky in Rotterdam

Alex de Minaur broke his duck with the Rotterdam title, ending a win streak of Felix Auger Aliassime on his way to the trophy on his third attempt.

The eighth-ranked Australian defeated his Canadian rival 6-3, 6-2 in Sunday’s 78-minute final of the 500 series event and will rise to sixth in the rankings.

FAA was treated for a medical problem midway through the second set as the end drew closer for the winner of last week’s Montpellier stop on the Tour.

“That’s what it’s all about: just doing my best to rise to the occasion,” the winner said after claiming victory without facing a break point.

“As 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’m super pleased with the performance today.

“Third time lucky… I’m super stoked, super happy. It ended up being a great week here in Rotterdam. It’s 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.”

De Minaur had lost the previous two Rotterdam finals to the current top two in the world: Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.

Auger Aliassime, 2023 titleholder here, missed out on the ninth indoor title of his career as he took the loss.

“We’ve played a lot of matches throughout the years… I tried my best today, but you were just a little bit too good. [It’s your] third time in the final here, so congrats on the win,” the Canadian said.