World No. 3, Mr Carlos Alcaraz, earned his first indoor title after defeating Australian third seed Mr Alex de Minaur in a thrilling 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 match at the Rotterdam Open final.
This victory marked a significant milestone in Alcaraz’s young career, adding another title to his growing collection. The four-time Grand Slam winner, who started his 2025 season with a quarter-final defeat against Novak Djovokic at the Australian Open, secured his 17th ATP Tour title with this win.
Despite battling a cold throughout the week and wearing a nasal strip during the match, Alcaraz became the youngest player in history to claim titles on clay, grass, hard court, and indoor hard court at age 21. He is also the first Spaniard to win in Rotterdam, following his coach, Mr Juan Carlos Ferrero (2004), and Mr Rafael Nadal (2009), who both lost in their respective finals.
Moreover, he became the first player to win the Rotterdam title on his tournament debut since Lleyton Hewitt in 2004.
In a social media post, Alcaraz said, “It means so much to me to win in Rotterdam! 🏆 It has been a very special week! 🔝 Thank you for the support from day one! ❤️ Congratulations @alexdeminaur for the tournament and a tremendous battle today in the final! 🤝🏻🔥”
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Highlights of the match
Alcaraz got off to a strong start, breaking his opponent in the third game of the ATP 500 final. However, De Minaur skillfully levelled the set at 4-4. The young Spaniard quickly regained control, breaking De Minaur again in the next game and taking the first set.
De Minaur came out strong in the second set, taking a 3-0 lead. The set proceeded with both players holding serve until the Australian levelled the match by winning the set.
Having been pushed into a decider for the third time that week, Alcaraz found his rhythm when he broke the Australian for a 4-2 lead in the final set. The athlete continued to dominate the remainder of the set, finishing strong to claim the title in his debut appearance at the competition.
After his victory, he said, “It has been a really good week… Coming here with, let’s say not feeling 100% well with the cold, every day I felt better and better thanks to (my team). All the people back home as well, I just want to say thank you.”
“I’m not a guy who says this many times, but I really want to tell you … I love you guys (referring to his team)… Thank you for everything you’re doing for me,” he added.