A blockbuster quarterfinal matchup in Rotterdam pits Andrey Rublev against Alex de Minaur on Friday. Top seed Jannik Sinner will also look to keep his hot streak going at the expense of big-serving Milos Raonic.
(5) Alex de Minaur vs. (2) Andrey Rublev
Rublev and De Minaur will be squaring off for the seventh time in their careers when they meet again in the ABN AMRO Open quarterfinals on Friday. The head-to-head series stands at 3-3, but Rublev has won three of their last four encounters–including via a 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-7(4), 6-3, 6-0 scoreline at last month’s Australian Open. For whatever it’s worth, the Russian also beat De Minaur in the UTS Oslo championship match this past weekend.
ATP 500s have been Rublev’s stomping grounds over the years; Rotterdam is no exception. The world No. 5 lifted the trophy in 2021, reached the semifinals in 2022, and made it to the quarters in each of his first two main-draw appearances. He is back in the last eight following victories over Zizou Bergs and Felix Auger-Aliassime, the latter from triple-match point down. De Minaur advanced with straight-set defeats of Sebastian Korda and David Goffin, improving his 2024 record to 8-2. Even though the 11th-ranked Aussie is in stellar form, Rublev’s firepower has been a tough matchup for De Minaur’s defense in recent seasons and on an indoor hard court that trend is likely to continue.
Pick: Rublev in 2
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(1) Jannik Sinner vs. (PR) Milos Raonic
From a strictly tennis standpoint, there are absolutely no questions about Sinner. In fact, he is the best player in the world right now. The fourth-ranked Italian ended last season on fire and began this one with his first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open. He has remained undefeated in 2024 with early-round wins in Rotterdam over Botic van de Zandschulp and Gael Monfils. That’s the good news. The bad news is that Sinner has dealt with his fair share of injuries in the early stages of his career and during his three-set victory over Monfils he seemed to have some kind of arm issue.
Assuming Sinner is good to go on Friday, he will face Raonic for the first time. Using a protected ranking for entry since he is down at No. 309 in the world, it has already been a very productive week for the 33-year-old Canadian. He is through to the quarterfinals after taking out Jesper de Jong and Alexander Bublik in straight sets. Despite those results, Raonic is serving at less than 60 percent and has double-faulted 12 times in two matches. Those numbers are not going to cut it against an opponent like Sinner–if Rotterdam’s top seed is 100 percent.
Pick: Sinner in 2
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WWW?
Its shaping up to be a Rublev-Sinner final but you never know.