ABN AMRO Open Semi-Finals Round-Up | Felix Auger-Aliassime and Alex De Minaur deliver statement wins and set for title clash

This Saturday, the semifinals of the ATP 500 ABN AMRO Open concluded, with victories for the favourites – first seed Alex de Minaur easily defeated Ugo Humbert, while second seed Felix Auger-Aliassime completely dismantled Alexander Bublik, the third seed, conceding only three games.

The final will be played this Sunday between two players with previous finals experience in Rotterdam. De Minaur was the runner-up in 2024 and 2025 (losses to Sinner and Alcaraz), while Felix was already champion in Rotterdam back in 2022 – in addition to being runner-up in 2020.

The first seed once again showed that when he is the favourite, he is almost unbeatable. The Australian prevailed this time in straight sets against Ugo Humbert and advanced to the 20th final of his career (10 titles, 9 runner-ups so far), in addition to his third consecutive final in Rotterdam. The world No. 8 won 6-4, 6-3 and secured his first final of the season.

Humbert arrived as the surprise of the semifinals – joining the top three seeds as the only unseeded player among the last four in the tournament. The world No. 36 – who always elevates his game on indoor hard courts – showed great form during the week, but it was not enough to trouble De Minaur. The Australian earned a break in the third game and then held firmly on his serve for the rest of the set.

De Minaur saved up to six break points before closing the first set 6-4, in a set marked by errors on both sides – totaling 31 unforced errors and only 7 winners.

In the second set, things did not change much, again with unforced errors from both sides, turning it into a test of nerves. An early break in favour of De Minaur – taken at his first opportunity – was key for the Australian to maintain control throughout the rest of the set. Without overcomplicating things on return, the world No. 8 handled the pressure well. Around 4-3, he faced three break points against him but managed to hold. In the next game, he secured his third break of the match and sealed the triumph 6-3.

There were only 16 combined winners (4 from De Minaur, 12 from Humbert) and 64 unforced errors (23 from De Minaur vs 41 from Humbert). While De Minaur did not deliver his most precise performance, he once again demonstrated that he is one of the best at managing critical points and moments under pressure. He will look to win his first title since the DC Open in July last year.

The match of the day was between two indoor specialists, Alexander Bublik (No. 10) and Felix Auger-Aliassime (No. 6). A clash between two top-10 players that fell short of expectations, given the imposing level of the Canadian, who capitalized on an irregular day from his rival.

From the start, Felix went after the victory, immediately gaining an early break and serving flawlessly to quickly take a 3-0 lead. Bublik would respond by winning his first service game, but mistakes cost him in the rest of the set. Auger-Aliassime stayed focused, waited for his opportunities, and achieved a double break – before closing a straightforward set 6-1. The world No. 6 had won 93% of points on his first serve against a poor 50% from Bublik.

The second set seemed more contested, with Bublik starting to look more solid on serve. However, he lost focus, and a confident Auger-Aliassime dominated the key moments. After an initial 2-1 lead from Bublik, Felix responded with two consecutive breaks, in addition to winning three service games in a row: overall, the Canadian won 14 consecutive points on serve and 5 games in a row, before closing the victory 6-1, 6-2 in just 54 minutes. There were 25 winners from the Canadian against only 4 from Bublik, who could not keep up and bowed out in the semifinals.

The Canadian returns to the Rotterdam final four years after lifting the title back in 2022, defeating Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final. He will face another player with Rotterdam final experience: Alex de Minaur, runner-up in the last two editions, seeking the crown for a third consecutive year.

For Felix, this is his 7th final since the start of 2025 (record 4-2) and the second of this season, after winning last week’s title at the Open Occitanie. Auger-Aliassime reaches 8 consecutive victories.

Additionally, both players are close in the ATP rankings: if De Minaur wins, he will move up to No. 6, pushing Felix down to No. 7, while Felix cannot move from No. 6 – although the title will leave him just 5 points from the top 5.