De Minaur Edges Van de Zandschulp in Rotterdam Thriller

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.

Van de Zandschulp started strong, his powerful groundstrokes off both wings slicing through the indoor air like knives, forcing De Minaur into defensive scrambles from the outset. The Australian’s quick feet kept him alive in rallies, but early errors on the slick surface handed the Dutchman the first set. As the Ahoy arena pulsed with home support, De Minaur absorbed the hits, his low slices skidding low to disrupt rhythm and buy time for counters.

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

Early pressure tests resolve

Van de Zandschulp, the World No. 65, dictated the opener with flat backhands inside-out that pinned De Minaur deep behind the baseline. The crowd’s roar amplified every winner, turning the court into a pressure cooker where the Australian’s 1–2 pattern faltered on returns. He saved break points with darting footwork, but the Dutchman’s aggression built a lead that felt insurmountable midway through.

De Minaur’s season-long grind on indoor hard courts—marked by a 15-2 record on Dutch soil since the start of 2024, including the ‘s-Hertogenbosch title—hinted at his capacity to turn it around. Yet here, the weight of top-seed expectations pressed hard, his forehand lacking the usual bite against crosscourt blasts. The mental fog from a packed calendar loomed, but flickers of his speed emerged, stretching points into grueling exchanges that sapped his opponent’s edge.

Mid-match shift sparks rally

At 3-3 in the second set, De Minaur faced three break points, mixing underspin backhands with inside-in forehands to claw back control. He saved five of seven break points overall, per ATP Stats, his retrieval forcing Van de Zandschulp into hurried errors under the mounting tension. The tiebreak became a turning point: De Minaur’s heavier topspin pushed the Dutchman back, securing a 7-4 win that hushed the arena and evened the score.

This pivot echoed De Minaur’s growth, now 4-0 in his ATP Head2Head series with Van de Zandschulp and just the second player in tournament history to reach three consecutive semi-finals after Tom Okker in 1974-76. The 26-year-old’s late surge wasn’t mere luck; it was the psychological reset honed through relentless scheduling. As the match stretched, his one–two combinations regained rhythm, pulling wide before finishing down-the-line.

Decider delivers defining edge

In the third, De Minaur bolted to 2-0 with a backhand winner threading the line, but Van de Zandschulp broke back amid swirling tension, leveling at 2-2. The Australian refused to yield, chasing crosscourt lasers with tireless legs and countering with his own pace-disrupting slices. At 5-5, he struck for the decisive break, serving out at love as a routine volley from the Dutchman floated wide—sealing victory in a release of pent-up energy.

Awaiting in the semis on Saturday is Ugo Humbert, the World No. 36 who accelerated past Christopher O’Connell 6-4, 6-1 in 77 minutes, marking his 10th straight ATP Tour quarter-final win. Humbert’s indoor mastery—four tour-level titles on the surface—split their third Head2Head into stark halves: no breaks until the 10th game, then dominance with flat serves and inside-out forehands overwhelming the Australian. For De Minaur, this clash demands the same mental steel, his Rotterdam streak a beacon amid the tour’s unforgiving tempo, promising another tactical duel where speed meets surge.