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Tsitsipas Could Face Early Sinner Test In Rotterdam
Top seed Stefanos Tsitsipas could face Jannik Sinner in a second-round showdown at the ABN AMRO Open, where the Greek is looking to clinch his maiden title at the indoor ATP 500 event in Rotterdam.
Tsitsipas, who reached the final in Rotterdam last year before falling to Felix Auger-Aliassime, takes on World No. 53 Emil Ruusuvuori in his first ATP Tour outing since reaching the Australian Open championship match last month. Should he defeat the Finn in his opener, the Greek could meet Sinner in a rematch of the pair’s five-set fourth-round Australian Open clash.
The World No. 17 Sinner opens his campaign against Benjamin Bonzi, while 2015 champion Stan Wawrinka, seventh seed Pablo Carreno Busta and Auckland champion Richard Gasquet are potential quarter-final opponents for both him and Tsitsipas.
A stacked draw brimming with quality also features fourth seed Holger Rune and eighth seed Alexander Zverev in its top half. Rune plays a qualifier on his event debut, while his potential quarter-final opponent Zverev meets Adelaide International 2 champion Soonwoo Kwon first up in the Netherlands.
Auger-Aliassime returns to the scene of his maiden ATP Tour triumph, but the defending champion will have to plot his way through a heavy-hitting third quarter if he wants to repeat his 2022 title run. The Canadian won four indoor titles last season, more than any other player on Tour, but his first-round opponent Lorenzo Sonego also has recent pedigree on indoor hard courts — the Italian did not drop a set en route to his third tour-level title last September in Metz.
If Auger-Aliassime can advance to the Rotterdam quarter-finals this week for the third time in five appearances, his potential challengers include sixth seed and 2019 semi-finalist Daniil Medvedev. The 26-year-old opens against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, with Botic van de Zandschulp or Borna Coric next for Medvedev if he can find a way past the Spaniard.
Second seed Andrey Rublev and fifth seed Hubert Hurkacz bookend a high-powered bottom quarter. The 2021 champion Rublev will look to improve upon his 12-3 winning record in Rotterdam but faces a stern opening test in Alex de Minaur. Home favourite Tim van Rijthoven and Montpellier finalist Maxime Cressy are potential second-round opponents.
Hurkacz has not been past the second round in three appearances at Rotterdam Ahoy, and 11-time tour-level champion Roberto Bautista Agut presents a tough first-round challenge for the World No. 10. Bautista Agut carries a 3-0 ATP Head2Head series lead into their encounter.
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