TENNIS
Alcaraz downs De Minaur to win first title of 2025 in Rotterdam
Carlos Alcaraz earned his first indoor title, capping a dream debut at the Rotterdam Open by beating Alex De Minaur on Sunday.
Alcaraz was forced to go the distance to become the first Spanish champion at the tournament, earning a 6-4 3-6 6-2 victory in just under two hours.
Alcaraz broke De Minaur's serve in the third game, but just as he started to pull ahead, he saw his own serve broken, with the Australian fighting back to 4-4.
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The Spaniard went a break up once more though, and served out the game to take the lead.
However, a sluggish start to the second set cost him as De Minaur raced into a 3-0 lead before forcing Alcaraz to defend two break points as he tried to edge another game in front.
The world number eight made light work of forcing the decider as he proved his defensive capabilities, but Alcaraz reasserted his dominance in the final set.
De Minaur matched him through the first four games, defending a break point along the way, but Alcaraz bided his time before reeling off the last four games in a row to get his hands on a 17th Tour-level title.
— ATP Tour (@atptour) February 9, 2025
Data Debrief: Another one in the bag
Last year, Alcaraz became the first player to win ATP 500 titles on clay, grass and hard courts, with this triumph in Rotterdam now adding his first indoor title to that record.
He is 17-5 in finals, clinching his first title since Beijing against Jannik Sinner last October, while this victory sees him remain unbeaten against De Minaur, who has failed to win any of his three matches against Alcaraz.
The 25-year-old, who will rise back up to sixth in the rankings on Monday, had won 97% (35/36) of his service games heading into Sunday's final. However, he lost four in the showpiece, proving costly as he only managed two in return.
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