When it comes to bragging rights in Alex de Minaur’s household, the Australian and his English partner Katie Boulter are developing the healthiest of on court habits.
The couple continued a curious trend of claiming titles within a short time span of each other when the Aussie star clinched the Rotterdam Open early Monday, AEST, over his US Open quarterfinal conqueror Felix Auger-Aliassime.
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His 11th ATP Tour title was clinched just a week after Boulter’s triumph in Ostrava last week and follows a similar pattern to the past couple of years.
Back in 2024, de Minaur clinched a tour title in Acapulco a day before Boulter seized a success in San Diego. Later that year, the Aussie won a grass tournament in Rosmalen the same day that his English partner Boulter was triumphant in Nottingham.
The only blip in the trend occurred last year when de Minaur, who has started 2026 in superb fashion, was successful in a tournament in Washington D.C last July. That aside, anything the Demon can do, Katie can match as well, it seems.
It proved a case of third time lucky for de Minaur in Rotterdam as he trumped Auger-Aliassime 6-3 6-2 following his finals defeats to Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner in the two previous editions of the tournament.
While the No.1 seed was not in sterling form in the infancy of the tournament, he saved his best for last against the seventh-ranked Canadian who edged him in four sets at the US Open last year and is considered a premier indoor player.
It is de Minaur’s maiden triumph in an indoor tournament and he is the first Australian to win in Rotterdam since Lleyton Hewitt edged Juan Carlos Ferrero, the former coach of Alcaraz, in a thriller back in 2004.
De Minaur pocketed almost $775,000 for his success in the Netherlands and has already put himself in a good position for another end of season windfall after pocketing more than A$1 million last year for finishing second in a 500-tier bonus pool.
The 26-year-old went through an extended period last year where he struggled against Top 10-ranked rivals but has now posted wins over the best of the best in three of his four most recent tournaments.
“I’m super stoked about the whole week and especially the final today,” he said.
“I knew I had to bring out some of my best tennis if I wanted to beat Felix, because he is such a difficult competitor, especially in the indoor events and with the amount of momentum and confidence he had going in.
“I am super happy with the way I performed and to finally be able to get the title here in Rotterdam after two years of getting very, very close, I can finally lift the title and have my name on that wall.”
De Minaur, who fell to eventual champion Alcaraz in a quarterfinal of the Australian Open, returns to an equal-career high ranking of six within his success and is within 155 ranking points of a Top 5 breakthrough.
In a separate interview after his triumph, de Minaur said it was important to be able to bounce back from his disappointment in Melbourne where, after a tight opening, Alcaraz was able to romp away with victory in the third set.
“My whole life and my whole career, I haven’t been one to speak with words out loud. I (have) let my actions do the talking, but of course I am dreaming about winning grand slams,” he told Bolavip.
“I suffered a very tough defeat at the Australian Open, but I got back up and the year is long. There are still three more grand slams and countless Masters, so I am hoping to step up and win some of those big titles.”
A key to De Minaur’s success is his serve and in the final in Rotterdam, he nailed 67 per cent of his first serves, which is high for the Australian. This stroke, more than any other, remains critical to his ability to break through at the highest level.
“I think I have improved so much, so I believe I can compete for these titles,” he said.
“My serve has improved, which is super important for me. Everyone knows what I can do from the baseline, and if my serve can help me get more free points, then it makes my life a lot easier, and it will definitely be easier to win the big titles.
“The key for me is to make a lot of first serves. This week I haven’t been bombing serves, because I don’t always need to do that. I need to hit a high percentage, and I am finally finding the balance so I am not jeopardising that first serve. But it is a tough balance between having a high enough percentage and still doing enough with my serve.
“In the past, my percentage has been too low, which has cost me crucial matches against the best players in the world like Sinner and Alcaraz. I have made it difficult for myself in the past.”