ABN AMRO Open Rotterdam Round-Up | Tsitsipas and Auger-Aliassime cruise as Bublik survives thriller

The second round of the ATP 500 ABN AMRO Open in Rotterdam continues, with Stefanos Tsitsipas and Felix Auger-Aliassime staying on the winning path and booking their places in the second round with impressive straight-sets victories.

The player who had to battle the most this time was third seed Alexander Bublik, who survived an epic battle against Hubert Hurkacz, while veteran Stan Wawrinka continues adding wins in what is his final season as a professional, after defeating lucky loser Thijs Boogaard.

Stefanos Tsitsipas (No. 32) shows some signs of a return to form after a strong performance at the Rotterdam Open. The former world No. 3 claimed his second win over a top-30 player in the past year, after defeating Arthur Rinderknech (No. 28) with a solid 7-5, 6-3 scoreline. It was a match in which both players showed strength on serve, and where the key points ultimately decided the winner.

Throughout the match, both players were almost evenly matched in first-serve percentage (63% Tsitsipas, 62% Rinderknech) and first-serve points won (86% for both). However, the difference came in Tsitsipas’ ability to capitalise on points played behind the second serve, winning 67% of them compared to just 40% for his French opponent.

That proved decisive, as Tsitsipas took advantage of a late break opportunity in the first set, while in the second set a single shaky service game from Rinderknech gave him the edge — and eventually the victory. The Greek won a total of 79% of service points throughout the match and saved the only break point he faced. In the second round, he will face Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp.

It was debut day for second seed Felix Auger-Aliassime (No. 6), who arrived in Rotterdam in strong form after lifting the trophy at the Occitanie Open last week. The Canadian made a successful start this time, defeating former Canadian Open champion Alexei Popyrin (No. 50) by 7-5, 6-3 and extending his winning streak to five consecutive victories.

Felix showed once again that indoor hard-court conditions suit him perfectly, dominating efficiently from the baseline while patiently waiting for his opportunities. In the first set, a break in the 12th game proved decisive to take the set 7-5, while in the second set it was once again late in the set — with the score at 4-3 in his favour — when the crucial break arrived.

Auger-Aliassime closed out the victory without complications by 7-5, 6-3 and moves on to the next round, where he will face Serbian young gun Hamad Medjedovic.

Perhaps the biggest battle of the day took place in the clash between Alexander Bublik (No. 10) and Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz (No. 70), in a match marked by Hurkacz’s serving efficiency for much of the contest. Both players were imposing on serve — especially the Central European, who totalled 25 aces and won 91% of points on his first serve — numbers even higher than Bublik’s already impressive 13 aces and 81% of first-serve points won.

The first set was decided in a tie-break in Hurkacz’s favour, while the second set swung Bublik’s way. After two tight tie-breaks, the third set remained break-free until the final stages. The Kazakh Bublik moved ahead 6-5, and all that remained was for Hurkacz to hold once more to send the match into a deciding tie-break.

However, that was when errors from the former No. 6 appeared, as he committed three double faults and ultimately handed Bublik the first break of the match at the most critical moment — enough for the Kazakh to secure the victory 6-7, 7-6, 7-5 after nearly two and a half hours of play.

Three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka took advantage of a last-minute withdrawal by Aleksandar Vukic and made his debut against young Dutch lucky loser Thijs Boogaard, a player outside the top-1000, who had received a wildcard into qualifying — and after losing in the second round of qualifying to Grenier, entered the main draw at the last moment as a lucky loser. It was undoubtedly a golden opportunity to face a three-time Grand Slam champion.

The 23 years and three months separating 40-year-old Wawrinka and 17-year-old Boogaard placed the match as having the second-largest age gap on the ATP Tour.

Wawrinka showed the competitive spirit that defines him and made the most of his chance against a player with very limited experience at ATP main-draw level. The Swiss struck nine aces and won 91% of points behind his first serve. He converted 2 of 6 break-point opportunities, while saving all three break points he faced.

It was a true celebration for the local crowd, in a special match between a homegrown prospect and a legendary veteran taking his final steps on Tour. In the second round, Wawrinka will have an intriguing showdown against top seed and two-time runner-up Alex de Minaur.