Alex de Minaur dethrones Felix Auger-Aliassime for Rotterdam title: ‘Third time lucky!’ | ATP Tour

Rotterdam

De Minaur demolishes Auger-Aliassime for Rotterdam title: ‘Third time lucky!’

The Australian erases the previous two final defeats, winning the first domestic trophy

February 15, 2026

Persistence finally paid off for Alex de Minaur at the ABN AMRO Open on Sunday.

The top-ranked Australian produced his sharpest match of the week to beat Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-3, 6-2 and defend his home title at the ATP 500 event. De Minaur has fallen in two finals in Rotterdam, but he was alert and patient at every door against Auger-Aliassime, who needed a half-court break in the second set.

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“That’s what it’s all about: doing my best to rise to the occasion,” De Minaur said of his final match, where he didn’t face a break point, according to Infosys ATP Stats. “As the tournament goes on, you try to find ways out of solutions and try to give yourself a better chance to play better the next day, and I did just that. I’m very happy with my performance today.

“Third time I’m lucky… I’m very happy, very happy. It ended up being a great week here in Rotterdam. It’s a place where I always feel really happy. I’ve been missing a step in the past years, so it’s nice to finally be able to lift the crown.”

Auger-Aliassime was on the cusp of an eight-game winning streak that clinched the title in Montpellier last week. The Canadian was looking for a ninth career indoor title to continue cementing his reputation as one of the most dangerous players under the roof. De Minaur, however, has been consistent at the ATP 500 level in recent years, and his title charge at the final in Rotterdam proved too much for the Canadian.

“Congratulations to Alex and your team,” said Auger-Aliassime as he presented the trophy. “We’ve played a lot of games over the years… I tried my best today, but you were very good. [It’s your] third time in the finals here, so congratulations on the win.”

ATP 500 Win Leaders (as of early 2023)

After a tense start between the tournament’s top two seeds, the final came to a head in the opening sixth game when De Minaur hit two winners to earn a decisive break – the first time Auger-Aliassime had been broken since his second-round victory over Stan Wawrinka in Montpellier.

De Minaur carried her momentum into the second set and broke again in the fifth game, getting inside the baseline and calling rallies with more ferocity. Soon after, Auger-Aliassime left the court for medical attention and returned looking short of his usual outburst. De Minaur sensed his opportunity and remained relentless, closing out the match to cut the Lexus ATP Head2Head deficit against the Canadian to 2-3.

With his 78-minute win, De Minaur also jumped two places to No. 6 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings.