Top-seeded Alex de Minaur secured his third consecutive final at the ABN AMBRO Open in Rotterdam and now faces Felix Auger Aliassime for a title he has yet to win!
I think it’s a great match. Number 1 seed versus number 2 seed. He’s fallen short the last two years… Very satisfied Auger
The top Australian survived another challenging match as he defeated Ugo Humbert 6-4 6-3 in 91 minutes, a semi-final in which he saved all 10 break points he faced by producing some powerful shots when pressed, to advance to his title objective.
“I’m super proud of the effort,” said De Minaur, who became the first player to reach three consecutive finals of the tournament. “Today there were again a lot of difficult moments, a lot of break points, a lot of difficult situations… But I managed to get out of it and I’m super excited to be here again in the final and give myself another chance to hopefully win the title.
“It’s hard to get a lot of rhythm against him. He seems to get the first shot in the rally whenever he can. He’s such a clean ball striker and there aren’t many rallies that go up, so it’s very hard to get that rhythm and feel comfortable. Not every game you get the chance to be aggressive. Today was one that I definitely wasn’t able to do, but hey, I found a way.”
The world number 8 will have to dig deep again if he is to fulfill his dream of becoming champion as he takes on Felix Auger Aliassime, the Canadian who is two places above him in sixth and won the Montpellier title last weekend.
(Photo by Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Second seeded he eased past Alexander Bublik 6-1 6-2 for his eighth straight win and has yet to drop a set in the four matches he has played this week.
Sunday’s championship match could also give Auger-Aliassime its second Rotterdam title, after winning there earlier in 2022.
“Every day when you come out with a streak you don’t know if it’s going to be the night it’s going to end, but tonight wasn’t the night,” said a pleased Auger-Aliassime. “It was definitely my best match in a long time. The efficiency, the precision, the intentions… I just hit the ball well. When you feel like that on the court, it’s a pleasure to play tennis.”
Auger-Aliassime then looked ahead to Sunday’s final: “I think it’s a great match. No. 1 seed against No. 2 seed. He’s fallen short in the last two years… It’s not time to be friends. We have a lot of respect for each other, but at the same time, only one can lift the trophy, so we both have to go for it.”
Auger-Aliassime’s convincing semi-final win was another compelling reminder of his indoor prowess as he leads the tour with 93 wins in these conditions, having won all but one of his nine titles on indoor hard courts.
#Rotterdam #Minaur #compete #title #form #Auger #Aliassime