Carlos Alcaraz has achieved a new milestone in his career after ousting Alex de Minaur in a roller-coaster encounter to win the Rotterdam Open on Sunday.
The world No.3 was given a stern test through his 6-4, 3-6, 6-2, win over De Minaur to claim his third consecutive win over the Australian in as many meetings. Alcaraz has become the first Spanish player to lift the trophy in Rotterdam’s 52-year history, as well as the 11th player to do so whilst currently ranked in the top three.
It is also the first time the 21-year-old has won an ATP knockout event that has taken place indoors. Overall, he has now won 17 ATP titles with eight of those victories being on a clay court, six on a hard court and three on the grass.
“Rotterdam has been a really special week for me,” said Alcaraz.
“Not only for the title but for the support that I received here since the first day.
“It was my first time in Rotterdam and you (the fans) made it like I’ve been playing this tournament for a long time.”
“I just want to say thank you very much.”
Similar to his semi-final encounter against Hubert Hurkacz, Alcaraz was once again pushed hard by de Minaur pushed at the Ahoy Arena. During the opening set, he dropped two straight games when leading 4-2 but managed to break his rival for a second time en route to sealing the opener. Then, in the second frame, de Minaur was rewarded for his determination as he won four out of five games played before forcing the match into a decider.
With a title on the line, Alcaraz regained his stronghold with the help of a backhand error from de Minaur that enabled him to break for a 4-2 lead. That loose shot proved pivotal to the match with Alcaraz going on to hold serve with relative ease to move to one game from victory. A de Minaur double fault handed him two championship points and he converted his second chance with the help of another mistake from the world No.8.
“I would like to continue with my team. I just wanted to say thank you for everything,” Alcaraz commented.
“This week has been a really good week. Coming here I was, let’s say, not feeling 100% well (due to having a cold) but after every day I was feeling better and better.
“I’m not a guy who says this many times, but I really want to make the most of this time to say I love you guys as well. So thank you for everything you’re doing for me.”
Alcaraz’s triumph extends de Minaur’s losing streak against top-five players to eight in a row. His last top-five win was over Daniil Medvedev at the 2024 French Open and his last win over a top-three player was against Novak Djokovic at the United Cup earlier that year.
“For my team, they’ve been there from the very beginning. We’re pushing for bigger and better things. We’ve made great improvements,” said de Minaur.
“I’m going to keep on pushing for more. It’s been two years now with this runner-up trophy.
“I’m hoping I’ll get my hand on the winners one day.” He added.
Alcaraz is the first player to win the Rotterdam Open on their debut since Lleyton Hewitt.
