Top seed Alex de Minaur has a blockbuster first round match on his hands in Rotterdam against Arthur Fils. Tuesday’s show also features Dutch favorite Tallon Griekspoor against Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard.
(1) Alex de Minaur vs. Arthur Fils
Fils’ return to tennis went well enough last week in Montpellier. Having not played since last summer’s Toronto Masters, the 21-year-old Frenchman defeated Valentin Royer and Ugo Blanchet before falling to eventual champion Felix Auger-Aliassime in the quarterfinals.
This is good news for a player who has been sidelined for a long time due to a back injury. The downside, of course, is that he has to climb to No. 1 in the first round of the ABN AMRO Open. De Minaur won their most recent meeting in four sets at Wimbledon in 2024 after Fils got the better of their first meeting in straight sets on the red clay of Barcelona earlier that season. The eighth-ranked Aussie is coming off a quarterfinal appearance in Melbourne and has finished second in the past two years in Rotterdam, so he should be at the top.
Pick: De Minaur at 2
(7) Tallon Griekspoor vs. Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard
Griekspoor and Master Perricard will be facing each other for the second time in their career on Tuesday. Their last matchup came last spring in Indian Wells, where Griekspoor cruised to a 7-6(3), 6-3 victory.
This should be another good place for the 27th-ranked Dutchman, who has home court advantage and has reached the semifinals of this event in two of his last three appearances. Chef Perricard can’t come close to being as confident. The much-loved French player suffered a concussion and an eye injury when a tennis ball forced him to retire from the first round match in Montpellier last week. And even though this is a strong indoor court, the conditions are probably not as fast as Magistrate Perricard would like.
Choose: Griekspoor at 2
