Ricky’s pick for the Rotterdam final: Sinner vs. De Minaur

Jannik Sinner and Alex de Minaur will be squaring off for the seventh time in their careers when they meet in the ABN AMRO Open final on Sunday.

It’s safe to say that Sinner will be hoping to maintain his dominance of this matchup in addition to his own incredible form. In fact, this has been one of the most lopsided matchups on tour in recent years. Sinner is 6-0 lifetime against De Minaur and 14-1 in total sets. He has won 11 consecutive sets at the Aussie’s expense. They went head-to-head twice last season, when Sinner cruised 6-4, 6-1 in the Toronto Masters title match and 6-3, 6-0 to clinch the Davis Cup championship for Italy.

Sinner is still just as hot as he was last fall, when his season-ending run included two upsets of Novak Djokovic. The fourth-ranked Italian is 11-0 this year, winning the Australian Open for his first major title and having now posted Rotterdam victories over Botic van de Zandschulp, Gael Monfils, Milos Raonic, and Tallon Griekspoor.

De Minaur booked his spot in the final by Lorenzo Sonego, Marton Fucsovics, Alexander Shevchenko, and Grigor Dimitrov. The 11th-ranked Aussie is now 10-2 in 2024, a record that includes a fourth-round performance at the Aussie Open.

“Let’s see what’s coming,” said Sinner. “I know [De Minaur] quite well, he knows me well, and I guess he’s going to change a couple of things. So tomorrow I have to be really prepared and ready and we will see what I am capable of.

“It would mean a lot [to win the title]. It’s a special place, as I’ve said many times. The tournament believed in me years ago (with a wild card in 2018), and this is my second final.”

The 22-year-old could not ask for better opportunity to take the title. As well as De Minaur is playing, this is obviously a horrible matchup for him. The 24-year-old’s defense is too good for many opponents, but it has never been able to withstand Sinner’s offensive firepower. There is no reason to think anything will change on Sunday.

Pick: Sinner in 2

Ricky contributes to 10sballs.com and also maintains his own tennis website, The Grandstand. You can follow him on Twitter at @Dimonator.