<p>Carlos Alcaraz scrapped his way into the final of the Rotterdam Open on Saturday with a hard-fought and entertaining three-set win over Hubert Hurkacz. <o:p></o:p>Superior court coverage and retrieving from the Spanish world number three overcame stubborn resistance from the Pole for a 6-4, 6-7 (5/7), 6-3 win to set up a clash with Australia's Alex de Minaur in Sunday's final.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p>"It was a very tight first set. I think he had chances to make it 6-0 so I just tried to fight every ball, every point," said Alcaraz. "I just tried to stay in there, keep fighting all the time and it paid off," he added.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p><strong>Also read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/kylian-mbappe-helps-real-madrid-play-1-1-draw-against-atletico-in-tense-liga-derby-8703645" rel="dofollow">Mbappe helps Real Madrid play 1-1 draw against Atletico in tense Liga derby</a></strong></p>
<p>Alcaraz got off to a slow start, broken to love in his very first service game and allowing Hurkacz to race into a 3-0 lead in the first set. <o:p></o:p>He faced another break point in his next service game but saved it with a glorious crosscourt forehand and managed to hold onto serve.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p>Alcaraz survived another three break points and then fought his way back into the match with a break of his own, seizing the game with a forehand smash after a lengthy rally.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p>The momentum shifted in the Spaniard's favour and a double-fault from Hurkacz gave the top seed the opportunity to serve out the set. <o:p></o:p>Again Hurkacz had the opportunity to break, but Alcaraz held firm and sealed the set with a forehand drive volley winner.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p>After the topsy-turvy first set, the second proceeded more conventionally, on serve until the tie-break.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p>The tie-break was also nip and tuck, both players squandering chances to seize the advantage. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p>But a double-fault from Alcaraz at 5-4 up gave Hurkacz an opportunity, and the Pole needed no second invitation, taking the set as the Spaniard netted a simple backhand groundstroke.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p>The decisive set started the same way as the first, with an early break of serve -- this time to Alcaraz who brought the crowd to its feet.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p>That eventually proved enough to break the Polish resistance, as Hurkacz failed to make inroads into the Alcaraz serve.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p>Serving for the set at 5-3, Alcaraz booked his place in his 22nd ATP tour final with a trademark forehand winner up the line.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p>"I want to be the first Spanish player to be able to win this tournament. I'm going to go for it. I'm really happy to be able to play a final in Rotterdam," said the 21-year-old.<o:p></o:p></p>
<h2>'Happy with level'<o:p></o:p></h2>
<p>In Saturday's first semi-final, De Minaur brought to an end the extraordinary giant-killing run of Italian qualifier Mattia Bellucci with a straight-sets win.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p>De Minaur was too consistent for the error-prone Bellucci, who was unable to repeat his earlier heroics against Daniil Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas, going down 6-1, 6-2.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p>"I'm very happy with the level today," said De Minaur. "He's been playing with a lot of confidence this whole week, so I knew it was going to be a very tough battle," added the third-seeded Australian.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p>Runner-up last year to world number one Jannik Sinner, De Minaur has enjoyed comfortable passage to the final, winning all his matches in straight sets.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">"The Dutch crowd always treats me very well, and I love coming back here. So hopefully I can get a title this time," he said.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><em><strong>Disclaimer:<span>&nbsp;</span></strong>This story has been published from a news agency feed with minimal edits to adhere to WION's style guide. The headline may have been changed to better reflect the content of the story or to make it more suitable for WION audience.</em></p>

Sports, Tennis: Runner-up last year to world number one Jannik Sinner, De Minaur has enjoyed comfortable passage to the final, winning all his matches in straight sets.

Carlos Alcaraz scrapped his way into the final of the Rotterdam Open on Saturday with a hard-fought and entertaining three-set win over Hubert Hurkacz. Superior court coverage and retrieving from the Spanish world number three overcame stubborn resistance from the Pole for a 6-4, 6-7 (5/7), 6-3 win to set up a clash with Australia's Alex de Minaur in Sunday's final. "It was a very tight first set. I think he had chances to make it 6-0 so I just tried to fight every ball, every point," said Alcaraz. "I just tried to stay in there, keep fighting all the time and it paid off," he added. Also read | Mbappe helps Real Madrid play 1-1 draw against Atletico in tense Liga derby Alcaraz got off to a slow start, broken to love in his very first service game and allowing Hurkacz to race into a 3-0 lead in the first set. He faced another break point in his next service game but saved it with a glorious crosscourt forehand and managed to hold onto serve. Alcaraz survived another three break points and then fought his way back into the match with a break of his own, seizing the game with a forehand smash after a lengthy rally. The momentum shifted in the Spaniard's favour and a double-fault from Hurkacz gave the top seed the opportunity to serve out the set. Again Hurkacz had the opportunity to break, but Alcaraz held firm and sealed the set with a forehand drive volley winner. After the topsy-turvy first set, the second proceeded more conventionally, on serve until the tie-break. The tie-break was also nip and tuck, both players squandering chances to seize the advantage. But a double-fault from Alcaraz at 5-4 up gave Hurkacz an opportunity, and the Pole needed no second invitation, taking the set as the Spaniard netted a simple backhand groundstroke. The decisive set started the same way as the first, with an early break of serve -- this time to Alcaraz who brought the crowd to its feet. That eventually proved enough to break the Polish resistance, as Hurkacz failed to make inroads into the Alcaraz serve. Serving for the set at 5-3, Alcaraz booked his place in his 22nd ATP tour final with a trademark forehand winner up the line. "I want to be the first Spanish player to be able to win this tournament. I'm going to go for it. I'm really happy to be able to play a final in Rotterdam," said the 21-year-old. 'Happy with level' In Saturday's first semi-final, De Minaur brought to an end the extraordinary giant-killing run of Italian qualifier Mattia Bellucci with a straight-sets win. De Minaur was too consistent for the error-prone Bellucci, who was unable to repeat his earlier heroics against Daniil Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas, going down 6-1, 6-2. "I'm very happy with the level today," said De Minaur. "He's been playing with a lot of confidence this whole week, so I knew it was going to be a very tough battle," added the third-seeded Australian. Runner-up last year to world number one Jannik Sinner, De Minaur has enjoyed comfortable passage to the final, winning all his matches in straight sets. "The Dutch crowd always treats me very well, and I love coming back here. So hopefully I can get a title this time," he said. Disclaimer: This story has been published from a news agency feed with minimal edits to adhere to WION's style guide. The headline may have been changed to better reflect the content of the story or to make it more suitable for WION audience.

Alcaraz sets up Rotterdam Open final date with Australia’s de Minaur

<p>Jannik Sinner stunned top seed Stefanos Tsitsipas in straight sets to reach the Rotterdam ATP quarter-finals on Thursday while ninth-ranked Holger Rune was knocked out by world number 160 Gijs Brouwer.</p>

<p>Italian 21-year-old Sinner, ranked 14 in the world and fresh from his Montpellier title last weekend, came through 6-4, 6-3.</p>

<p>It was only his second win over world number three Tsitsipas in seven meetings and avenged a five-set loss to the Greek player in the last-16 at the Australian Open last month.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Sinner will face Swiss veteran and three-time major winner Stan Wawrinka for a place in the semi-finals.</p>

<p>Highly-regarded 19-year-old Rune was trailing American-born Dutchman Brouwer 6-4, 4-0 when he quit their second-round tie.</p>

<p>Rune retired after a medical timeout failed to fix his physical problems.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/novak-djokovic-wins-his-10th-australian-open-title-beats-stefanos-tsitsipas-in-the-final-in-straight-sets-557024"><strong>Read more:&nbsp;Novak Djokovic wins his 10th Australian Open title, beats Stefanos Tsitsipas in straight sets</strong></a></p>

<p>Brouwer will face compatriot Tallon Griekspoor in Friday's quarter-finals.</p>

<p>Defending champion Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada eased past Gregoire Barrere to reach the last eight.</p>

<p>The 22-year-old from Montreal dispatched the last French player standing 6-4, 6-3 to set up a meeting with sixth seed Daniil</p>

<p>Medvedev, who beat Botic van de Zandschulp 6-2, 6-2, saving all six break points he faced.</p>

<p>Number three seed Auger-Aliassime secured his place in the last eight on the back of a solid first service, firing nine aces.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/novak-djokovic-wins-10th-australian-open-title-beats-tsitispas-557060"><strong>WATCH |&nbsp;Novak Djokovic wins 10th Australian Open Title, beats Tsitispas</strong></a></p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/novak-djokovic-wins-10th-australian-open-title-beats-tsitispas-557060/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

<p>Medvedev will be the favourite to win their encounter having won all of his four meetings with the Canadian, with all but one going the distance.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"Felix is a top player. He won here last year and played amazing at the end of last year. Looking forward to a tough match and hopefully I can be at my best," said Medvedev.</p>

<p>Australia's Alex de Minaur, who upset second seed Andrey Rublev in straight sets on Wednesday, plays Grigor Dimitrov in Friday's other quarter-final.</p>

<p><strong>WATCH WION LIVE HERE:&nbsp;</strong></p>

<p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="350" loading="”lazy”" src="https://www.wionews.com/live-tv/embed?autoplay=1&amp;mute=1" width="100%"></iframe></p>


Jannik Sinner stunned top seed Stefanos Tsitsipas in straight sets to reach the Rotterdam ATP quarter-finals on Thursday while ninth-ranked Holger Rune was knocked out by world number 160 Gijs Brouwer.

Jannik Sinner stunned top seed Stefanos Tsitsipas in straight sets to reach the Rotterdam ATP quarter-finals on Thursday while ninth-ranked Holger Rune was knocked out by world number 160 Gijs Brouwer. Italian 21-year-old Sinner, ranked 14 in the world and fresh from his Montpellier title last weekend, came through 6-4, 6-3. It was only his second win over world number three Tsitsipas in seven meetings and avenged a five-set loss to the Greek player in the last-16 at the Australian Open last month. Sinner will face Swiss veteran and three-time major winner Stan Wawrinka for a place in the semi-finals. Highly-regarded 19-year-old Rune was trailing American-born Dutchman Brouwer 6-4, 4-0 when he quit their second-round tie. Rune retired after a medical timeout failed to fix his physical problems. Read more: Novak Djokovic wins his 10th Australian Open title, beats Stefanos Tsitsipas in straight sets Brouwer will face compatriot Tallon Griekspoor in Friday's quarter-finals. Defending champion Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada eased past Gregoire Barrere to reach the last eight. The 22-year-old from Montreal dispatched the last French player standing 6-4, 6-3 to set up a meeting with sixth seed Daniil Medvedev, who beat Botic van de Zandschulp 6-2, 6-2, saving all six break points he faced. Number three seed Auger-Aliassime secured his place in the last eight on the back of a solid first service, firing nine aces. WATCH | Novak Djokovic wins 10th Australian Open Title, beats Tsitispas × Medvedev will be the favourite to win their encounter having won all of his four meetings with the Canadian, with all but one going the distance. "Felix is a top player. He won here last year and played amazing at the end of last year. Looking forward to a tough match and hopefully I can be at my best," said Medvedev. Australia's Alex de Minaur, who upset second seed Andrey Rublev in straight sets on Wednesday, plays Grigor Dimitrov in Friday's other quarter-final. WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

Australian Open finalist Tsitsipas handed shocking loss by world number 160

<p>World number one Roger Federer&nbsp;thrashed Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov 6-2, 6-2 in a one-sided final of the ABN Amro World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam to claim his 97th title.</p>

<p>In the Open era, only American Jimmy Connors has won more titles with 109.</p>

<p>Federer surpasses Andre Agassi, who held the top spot aged 33 years and 131 days in 2003, as the oldest man to claim the world number one spot.</p>

<p>It is Federer&#39;s first time back at the summit since October 2012 having first claimed the top position in February 2004.</p>

<p>The 36-year-old said, &quot;What a fantastic week. The goal at start of week was to make it to the semi-finals. This is absolutely amazing, I&#39;m really pleased.&quot;</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">And that&#39;s a wrap for the tournament ????! The last photo album of the week ????????️! <a href="https://t.co/GtkU3ebKFb">https://t.co/GtkU3ebKFb</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/abnamrowtt?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#abnamrowtt</a> <a href="https://t.co/SZehK52z6P">pic.twitter.com/SZehK52z6P</a></p>
&mdash; ABN AMRO WTT (@abnamrowtt) <a href="https://twitter.com/abnamrowtt/status/965279234477477889?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 18, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<p>After winning the title he gave a hilarious statement in the post-match interview, &quot;I will definitely check out the new ranking on Monday morning. To make sure that no mistake has been made.&quot;</p>

<p>Federer will now decide within a few days whether or not to travel to Dubai for the ATP event starting a week from Monday.</p>

<p>Federer has a home and training base in the UAE and has won the hardcourt tournament seven times.</p>

<p>His effort in Rotterdam appeared to take little out of him physically, with his only loss of a set coming in the quarter-final against Robin Haase.&nbsp;</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Thank you Rotterdam! You broke the record for attendance.. 120k people! It was an amazing atmosphere ???????????????? <a href="https://t.co/yAVl8woRgH">pic.twitter.com/yAVl8woRgH</a></p>
&mdash; Roger Federer (@rogerfederer) <a href="https://twitter.com/rogerfederer/status/965325841788907520?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 18, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


Roger Federer thrashed Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov 6-2, 6-2 in a one-sided final of the ABN Amro World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam to claim his 97th title

World number one Roger Federer thrashed Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov 6-2, 6-2 in a one-sided final of the ABN Amro World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam to claim his 97th title. In the Open era, only American Jimmy Connors has won more titles with 109. Federer surpasses Andre Agassi, who held the top spot aged 33 years and 131 days in 2003, as the oldest man to claim the world number one spot. It is Federer's first time back at the summit since October 2012 having first claimed the top position in February 2004. The 36-year-old said, "What a fantastic week. The goal at start of week was to make it to the semi-finals. This is absolutely amazing, I'm really pleased." And that's a wrap for the tournament ????! The last photo album of the week ????????️! https://t.co/GtkU3ebKFb #abnamrowtt pic.twitter.com/SZehK52z6P — ABN AMRO WTT (@abnamrowtt) February 18, 2018 × After winning the title he gave a hilarious statement in the post-match interview, "I will definitely check out the new ranking on Monday morning. To make sure that no mistake has been made." Federer will now decide within a few days whether or not to travel to Dubai for the ATP event starting a week from Monday. Federer has a home and training base in the UAE and has won the hardcourt tournament seven times. His effort in Rotterdam appeared to take little out of him physically, with his only loss of a set coming in the quarter-final against Robin Haase. Thank you Rotterdam! You broke the record for attendance.. 120k people! It was an amazing atmosphere ???????????????? pic.twitter.com/yAVl8woRgH — Roger Federer (@rogerfederer) February 18, 2018 ×

World number one Roger Federer claims Rotterdam Open

rotterdam-open

Rotterdam Open, News on Rotterdam Open, stories on Rotterdam Open, articles on Rotterdam Open, Rotterdam Open stories at Wion, Rotterdam Open news, Rotterdam Open latest news

rotterdam open

Alcaraz sets up Rotterdam Open final date with Australia’s de Minaur

Australian Open finalist Tsitsipas handed shocking loss by world number 160

World number one Roger Federer claims Rotterdam Open