Herbert/Mahut Capture Second Rotterdam Crown

Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut extended their impressive record at the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament on Sunday, beating Henri Kontinen and Jan-Lennard Struff 7-6(5), 4-6, 10-7 to lift their second trophy in three team appearances in Rotterdam.

The Frenchmen recorded their seventh straight victory at the ATP 500 event in one hour and 34 minutes, saving five of seven break points en route to victory. Herbert and Mahut also claimed the title on their last visit to the Rotterdam Ahoy in 2018. The second seeds have now won 16 titles from 22 finals as a partnership.

“It is a tournament I love,” said Mahut. “The first time I came here, I saw the Centre Court [and] it is amazing. One of the greatest on the Tour, definitely. I have a special feeling when I play in Holland… There is something special here.”

Mahut has now clinched 29 tour-level doubles crowns, while Herbert adds an 18th title to his collection. Mahut owns an 18-3 record and four trophies in Rotterdam, having also triumphed at the opening ATP 500 event of the year in 2014 (w/Llodra) and 2016 (w/Pospisil). This is the French pair’s first trophy since lifting the Nitto ATP Finals title for the first time last November.

“In the tough times, you have to stick together as a team and I think we could do that the whole weekend because our semi-final was also a tough one,” said Herbert. “We were still believing in ourselves and we found the solution to win maybe the one or two points that you need to make a difference in a match like this.”

Australian Open quarter-finalists Kontinen and Struff were attempting to capture their first team trophy in just their second appearance together. Kontinen was also bidding to win his second straight trophy in Rotterdam after his title run alongside Jeremy Chardy last year.

Herbert and Mahut receive 500 FedEx ATP Doubles Ranking points and split €130,680 in prize money. Kontinen and Struff gain 300 points and share €63,980.

“I have to say we were a little bit lucky to win this one,” said Mahut. “It is a strong team [we played]. I am pretty sure they will be in London at the end of the season. Definitely one of the top eight teams.”