Alex de Minaur is into his third straight Rotterdam Open final, having beaten Ugo Humbert earlier today.
And, he will be delighted to know that his opponent, who is yet to be confirmed, cannot be Carlos Alcaraz or Jannik Sinner.
He has lost his last two finals here to those two superstars, but with neither competing at this year’s event, it will instead be one of either Alexander Bublik or Felix Auger-Aliassime.
Alex de Minaur discussed how he was feeling ahead of the clash, reflecting on a rock-solid victory over Humbert.
Alex de Minaur reacts to reaching a third straight Rotterdam Open final
Speaking on court, De Minaur was unsurprisingly delighted with his level after reaching yet another final in Rotterdam.
He began by stating: “I’m super proud of the effort. I mean, today again a lot of tough moments, a lot of break points, a lot of trick situations, but I managed to kind of dig myself out of them and, yeah, super pumped to be here in another final and giving myself another chance at hopefully getting the title.”
Will Alex de Minaur finish 2026 ranked inside the top five?
Then, touching on Humbert, the Australian added: “Yeah, I mean, it’s hard to get a lot of rhythm against him.
“He looks to get the first strike in the rally whenever he can, whether he’s on serve or on return, such a clean ball striker, and at times, you know, there’s not too many rallies that go up, so it’s hard to kind of get that rhythm and kind of really feel comfortable.
“So a lot today was just about trying to be solid, trying to make that extra ball and trying to keep asking questions. I mean, not every match, you get the chance to be aggressive, today was certainly one that I was not able to do that, but, hey, I found a way and on to the next.”
He concluded by speaking about how it will feel to play a final here against someone other than Alcaraz and Sinner.
De Minaur laughed as he stated: “Yeah, look, I mean, ultimately, I’ve been in this position before. The plan is to go for the title, no regrets, whatever happens tomorrow happens, but I don’t want to leave the court thinking about the what ifs and you know, just go after it, ultimately.
“These are the types of matches that you go to win the title, not hope that the other player loses it, and that’s going to be the mindset going forward.”
Alex de Minaur makes history at the Rotterdam Open
Earlier in the week, after De Minaur beat Stan Wawrinka to reach the quarterfinals, De Minaur broke Roger Federer’s all-time record at the Rotterdam Open.
Now, by reaching a third straight final, he has forged his own slice of history.
The 26-year-old has been in the shadow of Alcaraz and Sinner ever since they burst onto the scene, with his many achievements often overshadowed by their many Grand Slam titles.
Joao Fonseca will be the man to unsettle Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner’s duopoly over men’s tennis – Prove us wrong!
So, it’s refreshing to see him recognised for his accomplishments, even if he has been thwarted by them both at this tournament.
If he is to go all the way and snatch the silverware that has continued to elude him, it might just be the springboard that helps him believe he can actually challenge the world’s top two-ranked players.
