The Spaniard claims his 17th title but has to fight hard against Australian Alex de Minaur.
Spanish tennis star Carlos Alcaraz has added another premiere title to his impressive collection. The 21-year-old won the final in Rotterdam against Australian Alex de Minaur 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 after a tough match, thus winning an indoor tournament for the first time in his career. The success earned him 449,160 euros in prize money.
For Alcaraz, it was already his 17th title, which means that on Monday he will move closer to second place in the world rankings again. Despite the defeat, it was a successful week for de Minaur (25) as well. He climbs to sixth place in the ranking and thus equalizes his best career placement.
De Minaur, who knocked out lucky loser Daniel Altmaier (Kempen) in the quarterfinals and went on to reach the final without dropping a set, played at eye level for long stretches against Alcaraz and held his own. Meanwhile, Alcaraz proved how versatile he is. He has already won majors on all surfaces, only the triumph at the Australian Open is missing from his career Grand Slam.
World number one Jannik Sinner had canceled his start in Rotterdam after his success at the Australian Open. The Italian had not yet recovered sufficiently.
