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

  • Posted: Feb 13, 2026

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.

“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.

In other quarter-final action, Alexander Bublik earned a milestone win. The 28-year-old overcame Jaume Munar 6-4, 6-7(4), 7-6(3) to notch his 200th tour-level victory, becoming the first Kazakhstani to achieve the feat.

“He played unbelievable. I faced him last time at Wimbledon. He is, I guess, the only Spanish [player] who can serve and volley that well. I was surprised,” said Bublik after the win.

The 28-year-old showed strong composure to level the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series at 1-1. He fended off 91 per cent (10/11) of the break points he faced, according to Infosys ATP Stats and fired 61 winners to Munar’s 31, rallying to victory in two hours and 42 minutes.

“When you play him, you know that all the balls will come back, everything. So the grand plan was to, of course, get the winners, to shorten the points,” he said.

Bublik will face second seed Felix Auger-Aliassime in the last four. Auger-Aliassime defeated home hope Tallon Griekspoor 7-6(2), 6-2 to extend his winning streak to seven. The Canadian won 92 per cent (34/37) of his first-serve points and saved the only break point he faced in one hour and 44 minutes.

Watch extended highlights of Friday’s action in Rotterdam:

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