Alex de Minaur loses Rotterdam final to Carlos Alcaraz

Australia’s Alex de Minaur will climb to an equal-career-high ranking of No.6 despite a hard-fought defeat to four-time grand slam champion Carlos Alcaraz in the Rotterdam Open final.

De Minaur contested the ATP 500 final in the Netherlands for the second straight year after losing a competitive two-setter to dual Australian Open winner Jannik Sinner 12 months ago.

Alex de Minaur and Carlos Alcaraz embrace post-match after their three-set final in Rotterdam. Credit: AP

The 26-year-old, who will leapfrog Novak Djokovic and Daniil Medvedev in the rankings to return to where he was after Wimbledon last year, entered the Alcaraz showdown bidding to become the first Australian to win the Rotterdam title since Lleyton Hewitt 21 years ago.

Hewitt coincidentally beat Alcaraz’s coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero, in three sets to claim the title.

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