Showtime Alcaraz holds off Hurkacz, sets De Minaur final in Rotterdam

Carlos Alcaraz is heating up in pursuit of his maiden indoor title at the ABN AMRO Open.

The Spaniard delivered a typically highlight-ridden display on Saturday night to overcome a similarly dialled-in Hubert Hurkacz 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-3 in Rotterdam. Alcaraz saved three break points to avoid a double-break deficit before surging to the first set in the semi-final clash, and he later eased through the decider for a richly entertaining two-hour, 21-minute victory.

“Great level, great match, that’s all I could say,” said Alcaraz, when asked about his exchange with Hurkacz at the net after match point. “In that moment he was a bit tired. I know his frustrations at the end of the match, so I couldn’t say so much about it. I’m just really happy. I think we both played at such a high level, for the people as well. It was a great match.”

Already a 16-time tour-level titlist across hard courts, clay and grass, Alcaraz is now just one win from adding an indoor trophy to his collection. Awaiting the top seed in Sunday’s championship match in Rotterdam will be Alex de Minaur, who earlier snapped the dream run of qualifier Mattia Bellucci with a 6-1, 6-2 victory.

BREAKING: Supernatural activity has occurred in Rotterdam 🚨🌍@carlosalcaraz is out of this world!!! @abnamroopen | #abnamroopen pic.twitter.com/duC0E1As6l

— ATP Tour (@atptour) February 8, 2025

Hurkacz made a barnstorming start in pursuit of his first Lexus ATP Head2Head victory in four attempts against Alcaraz. The Pole was secure on serve early and struck the ball cleanly off both wings en route to holding three points for a double-break lead at 4-1, 0/40.

Yet from there Alcaraz turned a pulsating first set, which featured a host of high-quality, all-court points, on its head. The 21-year-old repeatedly showcased his remarkable movement in defence, and he stayed aggressive at every opportunity to reel off five straight games and secure the set in breathtaking fashion.

Perhaps stunned by the first-set turnaround, Hurkacz immediately fell to 15/40 in the opening game of the second, but the Pole held firm and serve dominated the rest of the set. In the tie-break, Alcaraz earned the first minibreak for 5/4, but immediately let slip his advantage with a double-fault. Hurkacz quickly capitalised to take the set and ensure a third consecutive three-setter between the two players.

Alcaraz could hardly have reacted more emphatically to that setback. He won 12 of the first 13 points of the decider to earn a 3-0 lead and offered Hurkacz few chances to counter his charge. He wrapped victory having saved five of six break points he faced, according to Infosys ATP Stats.

“I was a bit in trouble, I guess,” said Alcaraz of his early deficit in the first set. “I just felt every ball until the end. That’s all I was thinking about, and I knew that I was going to have my chances.

“His level at that time was unbelievable, really high, so I knew that it was about time. So I’m really happy to have been able to fight every ball and to save the break points that I had to [save] to not be 1-5 down. I’m just happy to be able to do it and in the end, it paid off.”

Now into his first tour-level final since his epic victory against Jannik Sinner last October in Beijing, debutant Alcaraz will hope to become the first Spaniard to lift the trophy in Rotterdam tournament history (since 1974). The No. 3 in the PIF ATP Rankings is now 8-1 for the 2025 season, after beginning his year by reaching the quarter-finals at the Australian Open.

The third-seeded De Minaur earlier raced into his second consecutive Rotterdam championship match by staying rock-solid in the face of some moments of brilliance from qualifier Bellucci, who was unable to match his opponent’s consistency in his maiden ATP Tour semi-final.

“He’s played with so much confidence this whole week and played some incredible tennis,” said De Minaur, who is yet to drop a set after four matches this week in Rotterdam. “I knew going in it was going to be a battle and he was going to play loose, the way he has all week long.

"I just had to do my best to stay with him early and see if I could get my chances early. Then it became a little bit more of an uphill battle for him, but he has a very, very bright future ahead, as well as so many more Italians.”

With his Tour-leading 11th match win of 2025, De Minaur improved to 13-4 in Rotterdam, where he last year fell to Sinner in the final. The 25-year-old, will return to a career-high No. 6 in the PIF ATP Rankings on Monday regardless of whether he overcomes Alcaraz on Sunday to lift the trophy.

Despite falling to a 67-minute defeat to De Minaur, Bellucci can reflect on a breakthrough week in Rotterdam. After coming through qualifying, the 23-year-old Italian defeated Daniil Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas en route to the semi-finals, ensuring he will on Monday rise 24 spots to a career-high World No. 68.