Rotterdam 2023, Day 2: Men's singles predictions ft. Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Emil Ruusuvuori, Felix Auger-Aliassime vs Lorenzo Sonego | ABN AMRO Open
The 2023 ABN AMRO Open is currently underway in Rotterdam, with half of the current ATP top 10 in action. The first-round matches continue on Day 2 of the tournament.
Hubert Hurkacz will kick off the day's proceedings with his opening-round contest against Roberto Bautista Agut. Felix Auger-Aliassime will commence his title defense against Lorenzo Sonego.
Daniil Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas are some of the other big names in action on Tuesday. Here's a look at the predictions for all the singles matches lined up for February 14 at the ABN AMRO Open:
#1 (5) Hubert Hurkacz vs Roberto Bautista Agut
Both Hubert Hurkacz and Roberto Bautista Agut have had decent starts to the year.
They made it to the fourth round of the Australian Open, with Bautista Agut also having a runner-up finish at the Adelaide International 2 to boast about. However, the Spaniard suffered a shock first-round loss to Arthur Fils at last week's Open Sud de France.
Bautista Agut will be feeling more confident about his odds against Hurkacz, given his perfect 3-0 head-to-head record against him. The Pole has managed to challenge his older opponent by taking him to three sets in their last two encounters, but came up short in the end.
Expect the Spaniard to reign supreme once again in this ABN Amro Open clash.
Predicted winner: Roberto Bautista Agut
#2 (WC) Gijs Brouwer vs Marc-Andrea Huesler
Gijs Brouwer will be aiming to fly the Dutch flag high at the ABN AMRO Open, but will need to raise his level considerably to do so. This will be his first match at the ATP level this year. He has only competed at the Challenger level in 2023 and has just one win to his name.
Given Brouwer's dire form, Marc-Andrea Huesler will be the overwhelming favorite to come through this clash. With a 6-3 record for the year, the Swiss has had a rather average start and is yet to progress beyond the second round of a tournament. However, Huesler's chances of winning against Brouwer are high.
Predicted winner: Marc-Andrea Huesler
#3 (8) Alexander Zverev vs Kwon Soon-woo
Alexander Zverev is still trying to find his footing after an ankle injury curtailed his 2022 season and has won just a couple of matches this season. Both of his wins have come against players ranked outside the top 100, though one of them was Stan Wawrinka.
Kwon Soon-woo, meanwhile, captured his second career title at the Adelaide International 2 at the start of the year. However, his results outside of that tournament haven't been too impressive.
Prior to his injury, this would've been an assured win for Zverev. However, given their respective form at the moment, this is likely to be a close contest, with the South Korean having the edge to come out on top.
Predicted winner: Kwon Soon-woo
#4 (3) Felix Auger-Aliassime vs Lorenzo Sonego
After losing his first eight finals, Felix Auger-Aliassime captured his maiden ATP title at the ABN AMRO Open last year. As such, he'll be extra motivated to lay his hands on the winner's trophy yet again.
Auger-Aliassime started 2023 on a losing note, going down to Alexei Popyrin in the first round of the Adelaide International 1. He quickly turned things around and managed to make it to the fourth round of the Australian Open.
Meanwhile, after a string of early losses, Lorenzo Sonego reached the quarterfinals of the Open Sud de France last week.
Auger-Aliassime won their only encounter back in 2020. The Canadian could now feel the pressure as the defending champion. If he's able to handle his nerves, he should be able to get past Sonego.
Predicted winner: Felix Auger-Aliassime
#5 (1) Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Emil Ruusuvuori
Stefanos Tsitsipas has been in fine form this year and his only loss of the year came against a dominant Novak Djokovic in the final of the Australian Open. Emil Ruusuvuori, on the other hand, is struggling to string together a few wins.
Tsitsipas emerged victorious in their previous encounter, which took place at last year's Stockholm Open. Given how they've played so far, anything but a win for the Greek in this ABN Amro Open match-up would be a massive upset.
Predicted winner: Stefanos Tsitsipas
#6 (6) Daniil Medvedev vs Alejandro Davidovich Fokina
Daniil Medvedev has been among the leading players on hardcourts over the last few years, but has regressed ever so slightly in the recent past. He started the new year on a strong note, making it to the semifinals of the Adelaide International 1, where he lost to Djokovic in straight sets.
Medvedev then crashed out in the third round of the Australian Open, where he reached the final in the previous two years.
On the other hand, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina's best result this year has been a quarterfinal finish at the Adelaide International 2. He lost in the second round in last week's Open Sud de France.
Medvedev won their previous meeting at the 2021 Madrid Open in three sets. Despite his brief dip in form, he'll be expected to come out on top against Davidovich Fokina.
Predicted winner: Daniil Medvedev
#7 Mikael Ymer vs (WC) Tallon Griekspoor
Mikael Ymer has lost in the first round in three of his four tournaments this year. He defeated Borno Gojo and Roman Safiullin to qualify for the ABN AMRO Open main draw.
Tallon Griekspoor, meanwhile, started the year on a positive note by claiming his maiden career title at the Maharashtra Open. He then made it to the third round of the Australian Open.
While Ymer can be a tricky customer to deal with, this is a match Griekspoor should have no trouble winning at the moment.
Predicted winner: Tallon Griekspoor