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February

De Minaur Makes History in Rotterdam, Reaching Third Consecutive Final

Alex de Minaur became the first player in Rotterdam's 53-year history to reach three consecutive finals.

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Alex De Minaur was put under perpetual pressure by Frenchman Ugo Humbert on Saturday in Rotterdam, but the top-seeded Aussie never faltered as he carved out a slice of history at the ABN Amro with a 6-4, 6-3 victory.

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De Minaur saved all ten break points he faced, including three while serving at 4-3 in the second set that set the table for a sprint to the finish.

With the win De Minaur becomes the first player in history to reach three consecutive finals in Rotterdam. He lost the 2024 final to Jannik Sinner and fell in 2025 at the last hurdle to Carlos Alcaraz.

“Ultimately I’ve been in this position before,” De Minaur said. “The plan is to go for the title, no regrets.”

De Minaur improves to 6-2 lifetime against Humbert and jumps to 10-2 so far in 2026. He will face Felix Auger-Aliassime on Sunday. The Canadian won his eighth consecutive match, defeating Alexander Bublik 6-1, 6-2 in just 54 minutes in Saturday’s second semifinal in Rotterdam.

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“I’m super proud of the effort,” De Minaur said of his scrappy triumph. “Today, again, a lot of tough moments, a lot of tricky situations, and yes, I’m super pumped to be here in another final and giving myself another chance to hopefully get the title.”

De Minaur was on song on the big points from the early going, as he broke for 2-1 and denied four break point attempts from Humbert in the next game to hold for 3-1. The Aussie saved another pair of break pionts serving at 4-3 before holding and closing out the set two games later.

The trend continued in the second as De Minaur broke in the first game then saved a break point in the next to consolidate for 2-0. Humbert won nine of 11 points at the net, but was thwarted several times by the De Minaur body serve on his break points.

26-year-old De Minaur will bid for his 11th career title on Sunday, and first indoors.

“I found a way, and onto the next,” the Aussie said.

Chris Oddo. Chris Oddo is a freelance sportswriter, podcaster, blogger and social media marker who is a lead contributor to Tennisnow.com. He also writes for USOpen.org, Rolandgarros.com, BNPParibasOpen.com, TennisTV.com, WTAtennis.com and the official US Open program.
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