By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Sunday February 18, 2024
Jannik Sinner stretched his winning streak to 15, defeating Alex de Minaur in straight sets for his 12th career title at Rotterdam.
Photo Source: Getty
Alex de Minaur entered Sunday’s ABN Amro final with Jannik Sinner carrying heavy baggage. The talented Aussie had dropped all six of his previous battles with the Italian – and their last 11 sets.
Though De Minaur was able to push the Italian early and often in Sunday's title match at the Rotterdam Ahoy Arena, he was unable to shake free of Sinner’s grip, and fell in straight sets 7-5, 6-4.
Sinner is proving to be an unsolvable mystery on tour for most players, not just De Minaur.
After claiming his maiden major title at this year’s Australian Open, the 22-year-old Italian remains undefeated in 2024 at 12-0 and stretches his current winning streak to 15.
Impressively, he has won 32 of his last 34 matches, a streak that dates back to the beginning of his title run at Beijing last October. In Rotterdam he needed time to dial in his best tennis, but patiently improved with every round and was ready to take on the De Minaur challenge in Sunday's final.
"We did a very good job here," Sinner said, alluding to his difficulties in finding his form earlier in the week at Rotterdam, which was his first event played since winning his first Grand Slam title in Melbourne three weeks ago. "I'm really proud of the level I played throughout this whole week. We have been in a tough situation but we handled it the right way."
Sinner claims his 12th ATP title (from 16 finals) and improves to 7-0 vs. De Minaur with just one set dropped of the 17 cumulative sets they’ve contested.
De Minaur Rising Despite Defeat
The afternoon didn't go the way De Minaur wanted, but he was still happy with his achievement. He will return to the Top 10 and reach a career-high ranking of No.9 in Monday's ATP rankings.
"He's playing at an incredible level - too good - I'll get you back next time though," De Minaur told Sinner during the trophy ceremony.
The Aussie was in great form for much of the match, and even had chances to turn the opening set in his favor after he saved a quartet of set points and broke Sinner for 5-5. But he was broken in the next game and Sinner promptly served out the set in the next game.
That theme, and De Minaur's inability to capitalize on his momentum gained, would recur often during the match.
In the second set De Minaur, bidding to become the first Australian to win in Rotterdam since Lleyton Hewitt in 2004, threatened to take the early lead but Sinner again flipped the script, saving two break points in the fourth game before converting his third break point to lead 3-2.
De Minaur hit straight back, engineering his second break of the final for 3-3, but Sinner was once again there to deflate the Aussie's balloon. He broke for 4-3 when a makeable De Minaur backhand dipped innocently into the net – one of the moments that the 25-year-old will surely want to take back.
Things went with the server the rest of the way, Sinner comfortably holding to close out the triumph in two hours and six minutes, and becoming the first Italian man to win in Rotterdam since 1991.
Sinner finished with 23 winners against 26 unforced errors, De Minaur produced 20 winners and 29 unforced errors. The difference was from the baseline, where Sinner hammered 12 forehand winners and seven backhand winners, while De Minaur managed eight forehand winners and two off the backhand wing.
With the title Sinner ensures that his rise up the rankings continues. He will become the highest-ranked Italian man ever in Monday’s ATP rankings, vaulting Daniil Medvedev to move into the No.3 slot.