By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Sunday, February 9, 2025
Carlos Alcaraz beat Alex de Minaur 6-4, 3-6, 6-2, in the Rotterdam final to win his first indoor title and become the first Spaniard to capture the ABN AMRO Open.
Photo credit: Joris Verwijst-BSR-Getty
A swarm of dancing balls floated in front of Carlos Alcaraz’s face.
Alcaraz faced the flurry with fast hands and smiling intensity.
Juggling three tennis balls moments before he stepped on court, Alcaraz conjured historic championship on a few fronts in Rotterdam.
In his ABN AMRO Open debut, Alcaraz defeated Alex de Minaur 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 to make history as the first Spaniard to win Rotterdam—and capture the first indoor championship of his career.
Playing beneath Rotterdam's roof, Alcaraz looked like a man without a ceiling at times during this title run.
It is Alcaraz’s 17th career title and first since he beat Jannik Sinner capturing Beijing last September. Alcaraz raised his 2025 record to 9-1, while snapping de Minaur's eight-match winning streak on Dutch soil.
“I just want to congratulate [Alex] for a fantastic tournament,” Alcaraz said during the trophy presentation. “The success you are having, you are doing great work. I always wish you all the best…
“For the support I received here since the first day, my first time here in Rotterdam, my first time I played here and you made it like I played here a long time. So I just want to say thank you very much and I hope I see you soon.”
The reigning Roland Garros and Wimbledon champion converted four of eight break points in a one hour, 54-minute victory. Alcaraz for the third time in as many meetings—the three wins coming on three different surfaces—and handed the Aussie his second straight Rotterdam finals loss a year after he bowed to Sinner in the title match.
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“Carlos congratulations, man, too good again,” de Minaur said. “To you and to your whole team you’re an incredible person. We’ve known each other for a very long time, we’ve always had some fun battles…
“Its been two years now for this runner-up trophy. I’m hoping I’ll get my hand on the winner’s [trophy] one day.”
Entering the court for his 18th career final, de Minaur peered out from beneath the brim of his vanilla baseball cap completely covered by blue hoodie. De Minaur, who was coughing at times between points and reportedly has been battling a cold this week, looked like a man dressed for an outdoor speed skating race.
Bidding to become the third Aussie man to post 200 career hard-court wins in the Open Era—former world No. 1 champions Patrick Rafter and Lleyton Hewitt did it—de Minaur sped through a love hold to start.
Wearing a pink breathe-right strip over the bridge of his nose, Alcaraz ran off eight of nine points, broke first and took a 3-1 lead.
Both finalists are return snipers and showed it in the latter stages of the first set.
Though Alcaraz was serving with new balls, de Minaur stepped in and smacked flat forehand down the middle. De Minaur drew a couple of forehand errors breaking back at love to level after eight games on an eight-point surge.
Teeing off on a return, Alcaraz torched a forehand return strike down the line for love-30 then gained triple break point when de Minaur dumped a tame drop shot into net.
Measuring a backhand, Alcaraz spun a clean pass down the line snatching his second break of the set for 5-4.
On his first set point, Alcaraz banged the body serve, sealing the 34-minute opening set.
The top-seeded Spanaird won 12 of 16 first-serve points in the first set.
The two-time finalist fired several deep returns that danced at Alcaraz’s feet as he scored first-break blood in the second set for a 2-0 lead.
Targeting the Spaniard’s two-handed backhand, de Minaur won 12 of the first 15 points played on his serve in the set stretching his lead to 4-1.
A focused de Minaur cruised through a strong hold to serve out the second set and force a decider after 75 minutes.
The world No. 8 lashed an ace holding for a 2-all in the final set.
Both men were straddling the baseline and grunting with exertion as Alcaraz hammered some heavy forehands to reach love-30 on the Aussie’s serve in game six.
The Alcaraz two-hander was much more effective in the final set. Spinning a backhand return winner down the line brought the top seed double break point.
Dabbing a drop shot, Alcaraz lured de Minaur forward but the Aussie pushed a backhand reply that floated long as the Wimbledon winner broke for 4-2.
The 25-year-old de Minaur hit a forehand behind a diving Alcaraz to save the first championship point.
On championship point No. 2, de Minaur put a short forehand into net as a fired up Alcaraz unleashed a double fist pump to his box celebrating with vigor as the first Spaniard to raise the Rotterdam championship.