ATP Tour: De Minaur, Rublev Storm Into Second Round Of Rotterdam

Rotterdam: Alex de Minaur stormed into the second round of the ATP Rotterdam Open on Tuesday. The Australian third seed delivered a clinical performance to dispatch Belgium’s David Goffin 6-2, 6-4, extending his unbeaten record against the former World No. 7 to 6-0 in their ATP head-to-head battles.

Last year’s Rotterdam finalist, De Minaur looked in imperious form, covering every inch of the court with his trademark speed and turning defensive rallies into aggressive counterpunches. He outhit Goffin with 24 winners to 13 and converted his fourth break point in a tense second set to seal the victory in 96 minutes.

The win marks another impressive milestone for De Minaur, who now boasts 10 ATP 500 victories in Rotterdam and has 30 ATP 500 wins since the start of 2023, trailing only Jannik Sinner (32) in that period. The World No. 8 is enjoying an excellent start to 2025, having reached his maiden Australian Open quarterfinal last month and now improving his season record to 8-1.

Meanwhile, fourth seed Andrey Rublev also made a strong start to his Rotterdam campaign, defeating Zhang Zhizhen 6-3, 6-4 in 82 minutes. The 2021 champion was ruthless from the baseline, breaking Zhang six times while saving the only break point he faced.

Rublev, still searching for consistency in 2025, recorded his first win over a Top 50 opponent this season, a confidence-boosting result ahead of his second-round clash against either Jan-Lennard Struff or Fabian Marozsan. Earlier World No. 7 Daniil Medvedev was put through his paces, overcoming a tough first set to beat Swiss star Stan Wawrinka in a clash between two former winners of the event and remain alive upon return to the ATP Rotterdam Open.

The second seed rallied to an entertaining 6-7(8), 6-4, 6-1 triumph over fellow former champion Wawrinka, despite letting two set points in the first set. He, however, recovered well to move into the second round at the indoor hard-court ATP 500 event in his first appearance since he won the title in 2023. (IANS)

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