ROTTERDAM, Netherlands, Feb 15 (Reuters) – Australia’s Alex de Minaur eased past top seed Felix Auger-Aliassime in a 6-3 6-2 win to clinch his first indoor title on the ATP tour at the Rotterdam Open on Sunday, snapping the Canadian’s eight-match win streak in a 78-minute contest.
De Minaur, who lost the Rotterdam Open final in the last two editions, finally won the trophy to claim his 11th title on the tour.
“Third time lucky. I’m super stoked, super happy… I was just a step short in the previous years, so it feels great to finally be able to lift the title,” said world-number-eight De Minaur.
De Minaur frustrated Auger-Aliassime, landing backhand winners near the baseline away from the Canadian. The Australian got a decisive break to go 4-2 up, which helped him secure the first set.
Two-time U.S. Open semi-finalist Auger-Aliassime, sixth in the global rankings, committed 12 unforced errors in the second set as De Minaur broke twice and won the match point with a perfect ace.
“Felix, you’re a great opponent. I am sure we’ll play more finals together,” De Minaur said after beating Auger-Aliassime for the second time in five meetings.
(Reporting by Chiranjit Ojha in BengaluruEditing by Christian Radnedge)
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