Fils, Griekspoor surge on in Rotterdam after gutsy openers

Arthur Fils overcame a tricky test Wednesday to remain alive on his debut at the ABN AMRO Open in Rotterdam.

The 20-year-old Frenchman quickly shook off a shaky start before motoring past qualifier Constant Lestienne 6-7(4), 6-2, 6-1. With his two-hour, eight-minute victory, Fils ensured that all eight seeds advanced to the second round at the indoor hard-court ATP 500. Lestienne’s unique style, with which he favours the forehand slice, caused Fils problems in their maiden Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting, but the seventh seed recovered well to progress.

“I needed to fight until the end, he was making so many tricky shots,” said Fils. “It’s the first time in my life that someone is hitting a winner against me with a slice… It was very tough, but I’m really happy with how I dealt with the match. I didn’t get frustrated after the first set, I just tried to play better and better.”

Victory for @ArthurFils1 💢

Fils battles past Lestienne 6-7 6-2 6-1 in Rotterdam!@abnamroopen | #ABNAMROOPEN pic.twitter.com/lz3VmxzcPW

— ATP Tour (@atptour) February 5, 2025

Fils, who secured the most ATP 500 wins (17) in 2024, squandered a break lead in the early stages of Wednesday’s first-round clash, in which he struggled to adjust to his countryman’s approach. Lestienne found success when countering Fils’ weight of shot with the slice, but ultimately couldn’t contain the World No. 19 once he had found his range.

The 2023 Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF runner up will next face lucky loser Daniel Altmaier, who prevailed 1-6, 6-4, 6-3 against last week’s Montpellier finalist Aleksandar Kovacevic. The German won 84 per cent (31/37) of first-serve points en route to a one-hour, 48-minute win.

Home favourite Tallon Griekspoor added to his impressive indoor record with a gutsy 6-3, 6-7(2) 7-6(4) triumph against Matteo Berrettini after two hours, 21 minutes. Amidst a buoyant atmosphere inside Ahoy Arena, the Dutchman fended off a strong fightback as he became the fifth man from his nation to notch 10 wins in Rotterdam tournament history.

“Those tie-breaks from last year went through my head,” said Griekspoor, who won two deciding-set tie-breaks en route to the semi-finals in 2024. “Here in Rotterdam it’s such a stacked draw, so many good players. Matteo is such a high quality player, so I knew I had to take care of my own games and wait for those one, two chances in his games, which I didn’t really get. It was a battle from the first point to the last.

“I love playing on this court, this is by far my favourite court in the world. I had so many beautiful wins on this court and this is definitely one of the most beautiful ones. I live for these types of matches.”

Griekspoor was put under pressure at 4/4 in the final set tie-break when Berrettini’s return forced him out wide, but he found a bullet forehand down the line to force the error from his opponent. This served as a pivotal point in the conclusion of the match, as Griekspoor reeled off two more points against Berrettini’s serve — the first of which was a double fault — to seal an epic win in front of his home crowd.

Delivering the goods on home turf 🏡@Griekii becomes the fifth Dutchman to record 10 wins in Rotterdam tournament history! @abnamroopen | #abnamroopen pic.twitter.com/Mgc8KphjZu

— ATP Tour (@atptour) February 5, 2025

With his 26th indoor win since the start of the 2023 season, Griekspoor only trails World No. 1 Jannik Sinner (33) for most on Tour. The 28-year-old, who reached back-to-back semi-finals in Rotterdam last year, will face sixth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas in the second round.

Felix Auger-Aliassime was forced to retire against qualifier and doubles World No. 11 Andrea Vavassori. The Canadian, who won Rotterdam in 2022, called for the physio after dropping the second set but was unable to continue with the score at 7-6(3), 4-6.

Italy’s Vavassori, who reached back-to-back Australian Open doubles finals and qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals in his hometown Turin with Simone Bolelli, will next face top seed Carlos Alcaraz.

“I’m really sorry for Felix, he’s an unbelievable player and it was an honour for me to play against him,” said Vavassori. “This is the best indoor tournament of the season, so I’m grateful to be here, and I have to show that doubles specialists are also good singles players. I’m very proud to be in this position. We’ll see against Alcaraz, it’s a great opportunity.”