Carlos Alcaraz Wins His Maiden Indoor Hardcourt Title At Rotterdam Open
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Carlos Alcaraz added another trophy to his collection. He won the 2025 Rotterdam Open after beating Alex de Minaur in the final.
Alcaraz chose to fill the time in between the Australian Open and the Sunshine Double differently this year than he did in the years past. That meant traveling to Europe and competing at the Rotterdam Open instead of playing the Golden Swing.
The Spaniard hasn't really played too many indoor hardcourt events in the past. However, he's a player who doesn't take too long to adjust to certain conditions, and that applied also to his stay in the Netherlands.
Alcaraz reached the final after beating Botic van de Zandschulp, Andrea Vavassori, Pedro Martinez, and Hubert Hurkacz. His final opponent, De Minaur, bested David Goffin, Jakub Mensik, Daniel Altmaier, and Mattia Bellucci.
Both players cruised to the final, but fans in Rotterdam hoped that the final match itself wouldn't be a cruise for either of them, as they hoped to see a good match. And it was a good match.
The 21-year-old Spaniard got off to a better start. He broke his opponent's serve already in the third game, and by the time he led 4-2, Alcaraz lost only one point on his serve.
The four-time major champion was serving exceptionally, and it seemed that nothing could stop him from winning the first set. But despite previously losing only one point on his serve, Alcaraz lost four points in a row when serving at 4-3, which meant that De Minaur recovered the lost break.
But the Australian player couldn't keep the score tied for too long. Alcaraz upped the level and broke again, and after that, he came back from 15-30 down on his serve to win the opening set of the match 6-4.
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But as it often is with Alcaraz, the first and the second sets of this final were like a day and night. He struggled much more on his serve, and this time, he was the first broken player.
Not only that, but the two-time Wimbledon champion also found himself down 0-3 and 30-40. Although he saved that break point, he couldn't use his only break chance in the second set a few games later, which meant that De Minaur won the second set of the match 6-3, forcing a decider in Rotterdam.
Eventually, Alcaraz was able to show his best level once again. The ATP World No. 3 player played well on his serve in the third set, which meant that he didn't face a single break point.
On top of that, he broke his opponent's serve twice, and since De Minaur couldn't respond, Alcaraz could already start thinking about a place for the trophy in his cabinet.
Alcaraz won the match 6-3, 4-6, 6-2, lifting his first indoor hardcourt title. This win also helped him to close up on Jannik Sinner and Alexander Zverev in the ATP Rankings, as he won 500 points for his win.
