It’s that time of year when Felix Auger-Aliassime does a lot his damage, and that is exactly what he is doing again in 2026.
One of the most dominant indoor hard-court players in the world, Auger-Aliassime captured a title last week in Montpellier and now finds himself in the ABN AMRO Open final following victories over Alexei Popyrin, Hamad Medjedovic, Tallon Griekspoor, and Alexander Bublik. The sixth-ranked Canadian has not dropped a single set in Rotterdam and only Griekspoor has managed to force a tiebreaker.
Standing in Auger-Aliassime’s way of the trophy on Sunday is De Minaur, who trails the head-to-head series 4-2 (3-1 on the main tour). Auger-Aliassime has won both of their previous indoor contests — 7-5, 6-3 at the 2017 Drummondville Challenger and 6-3, 6-4 at the 2022 Davis Cup finals. They most recently faced each other in the 2025 U.S. Open quarterfinals, with the Canadian prevailing 4-6, 7-6(7), 7-5, 7-6(4).
De Minaur may not be as skilled as his opponent on this surface, but he is an absolute force in Rotterdam. This marks the eighth-ranked Aussie’s third consecutive appearance in the final of this ATP 500 event, having previously finished runner-up to Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz. De Minaur’s latest run in Rotterdam has come at the expense of Arthur Fils, Stan Wawrinka, Botic van de Zandschulp, and Ugo Humbert.
But it hasn’t been easy. De Minaur outlasted Van de Zandschulp 3-6, 7-6(4), 7-5 and faced 10 break points — saved all of them — during a 6-4, 6-3 victory over Humbert.
Although it’s never easy against De Minaur (except for Sinner), just about every advantage goes to Auger-Aliassime. The 25-year-old has mostly owned this matchup — especially indoors — and is both on fire and also well rested. Moreover, the pressure is on De Minaur — even as the underdog — after coming up short in the Rotterdam final twice in a row.
Pick: Auger-Aliassime in 2