ATP Tour

De Minaur’s ‘mental effort’ thwarts Van de Zandschulp in Rotterdam

Alex de Minaur remains relentless in Rotterdam, but only just.

The top-seeded Australian dug deep to hold off home favourite Botic van de Zandschulp 3-6, 7-6(4), 7-5 on Friday afternoon and book a semi-final spot at the ABN AMRO Open for the third consecutive year. De Minaur held his nerve after letting slip a 2-0 lead in the deciding set to outlast Van de Zandschulp and set a last-four meeting with Ugo Humbert.

THAT is a comeback 🤹‍♂️@alexdeminaur reaches the Rotterdam semi-finals for the third successive year!@abnamroopen | #abnamroopen pic.twitter.com/d5PjzSkl9q

— ATP Tour (@atptour) February 13, 2026

“I’m happy I got through,” said the No. 8 in the PIF ATP Rankings after the two-hour, 44-minute quarter-final tussle. “It wasn’t looking too good about three quarters of the way through the match, but I managed to find some of my better tennis today at the end of the second set. Another great mental effort.”

De Minaur was not always at his best against the World No. 65, who frequently dictated play with his powerful groundstrokes off both wings. Yet the Australian star typically refused to lay down and he found a path to victory after saving five of seven break points he earned, according to Infosys ATP Stats, including three during his crucial service hold at 3-3 in the second set.

Now 4-0 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series with Van de Zandschulp, De Minaur is just the second player in tournament history to reach three consecutive semi-finals after Tom Okker in 1974-76. The 26-year-old is 15-2 on Dutch soil since the start of 2024, a tally which includes the 2024 's-Hertogenbosch title.

Awaiting De Minaur in the last four on Saturday in Rotterdam will be Ugo Humbert. The Frenchman earlier accelerated past Christopher O’Connell 6-4, 6-1 to win his 10th consecutive ATP Tour quarter-final.

Humbert and O’Connell’s third Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting was a tale of two halves. Neither man carved out a break point until the 10th game of the match, when the Frenchman decisively broke to clinch the set. The World No. 36 Humbert, a four-time tour-level champion on indoor hard courts, then raced through the second set to secure a 77-minute triumph.