Happy At Home! Griekspoor Holds Off Ymer In ‘s-Hertogenbosch

Tallon Griekspoor gave an expert demonstration of handling home pressure Tuesday at the Libema Open in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, where the sixth seed held firm in the face of a Mikael Ymer comeback to seal a 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 first-round victory.

Playing to keep Dutch representation alive in the singles draw at the grass-court ATP 250, Griekspoor converted three of his 10 break points to seal his 17th tour-level win of 2023 and equal his personal-best number of wins in a single season.

“Happy with the performance, happy with the win,” said Griekspoor after his triumph. “Especially at home. I really enjoy playing at home. [Big] crowds, a lot of support, a lot of friends and family in the stands, so I really enjoyed that win.

“[It was] a tough match. The first match on grass is never easy, so I’m really happy to get through and to get another chance on Thursday.”

The 26-year-old Griekspoor, who also reached the second round in ‘s-Hertogenbosch in 2022, will take on Alexei Popyrin next after the Australian overcame Arthur Rinderknech 6-3, 7-6(6) .

Milos Raonic, who on Monday earned a straight-sets win against Miomir Kecmanovic in his first match since July 2021, will play Jordan Thompson in the second round. Australia’s Thompson, who reached the championship match in 2019, overcame French qualifier Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard 6-4, 7-6(3) on Tuesday.

In other first-round action, Emil Ruusuvuori pulled through a tough test against Brandon Nakashima to reach the second round. The Finn saved five of six break points he faced during a 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 triumph in the Netherlands, where he will next play Ugo Humbert.

Alexander Bublik defeated two-time Wimbledon quarter-finalist David Goffin 7-5, 7-5 to book a second-round clash against Jannik Sinner, while 2019 champion Adrian Mannarino held firm to down his fellow Frenchman and #NextGenATP star Arthur Fils 7-6(1), 6-4. The 34-year-old Mannarino next faces top seed Daniil Medvedev.