Seeds Hubert Hurkacz and Alex de Minaur will get underway in Rotterdam on Tuesday. The first-round schedule includes a couple of intriguing matchups featuring De Minaur, Hurkacz, Sebastian Korda, and Jiri Lehecka.
(5) Alex de Minaur vs. Sebastian Korda
De Minaur and Korda will be squaring off for the third time in their careers when they meet in round one of the ABN AMRO Open on Tuesday. They split their two previous encounters; Korda won 6-3, 6-4, 6-7(5), 7-6(5) at Wimbledon in 2021 before De Minaur got the job done 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 at the 2022 Paris Masters.
When you aren’t playing very well–and Korda isn’t–De Minaur is not the guy you want to see on the other side of the net. Korda’s 2024 record is a respectable 6-4, but he has defeated only two opponents inside the top 100 and none better than No. 46. All four of the American’s losses have come in straight sets, including two at the hands of lower-ranked opponents. De Minaur is 6-2 and coming off a fourth-round performance at the Australian Open. The 11th-ranked Aussie will likely get way too many balls back in play for Korda given then world No. 33’s currently erratic level.
Pick: De Minaur in 2
(4) Hubert Hurkacz vs. Jiri Lehecka
Hurkacz is dangerous any time he takes the court regardless of the conditions, and indoor hard courts are certainly no exception. Last week in Marseille was way too slow for his liking and he still reached the semifinals before succumbing to eventual champion Ugo Humbert. Although his history in Rotterdam is far from impressive, this should be a better setup for the eighth-ranked Pole. He is certainly playing well enough to take advantage, with a 10-4 record in 2024 that includes a quarterfinal performance at Melbourne Park (lost to Daniil Medvedev in five sets).
Up first for Hurkacz on Tuesday is a first-ever meeting with Lehecka, who kicked off his season with a title in Adelaide. The 32nd-ranked Czech has struggled since, losing to Alex Michelsen in round two of the Australian Open and to Arthur Rinderknech in Marseille–also in round two. Lehecka is a tough out, but this match is entirely on Hurkacz’s racket and if the fourth seed serves well it should be a mostly straightforward result.
Pick: Hurkacz in 2
WWW?