Tsitsipas eliminates home favorite Griekspoor, dashing Dutch hopes at the ABN AMRO Open

Tallon Griekspoor (28) has been ousted from the ABN AMRO Open in Rotterdam, Netherlands, following a defeat to Stefanos Tsitsipas (26) in a challenging three-set match, concluding with scores of 6-7 (5), 7-6 (6), 6-4.

Less than a day after Tallon Griekspoor, the last Dutch competitor in the Rotterdam tournament, progressed to the second round, the Haarlem native faced an exciting challenge against the Greek player Stefanos Tsitsipas, who had previously eliminated French player Harold Mayot on the opening day of the tournament.

On Wednesday evening, Griekspoor engaged in a lengthy 149-minute service duel against Matteo Berrettini in the first round of the ABN AMRO Open. The match featured an impressive total of 148 service points and only 41 return points, resulting in a 6-3, 7-6 (2), 7-6 (4) victory for the Dutch player. This first-round encounter also recorded merely two deuces and a single break point.

Griekspoor used Wednesday's match as an example for Thursday's meeting after comparing Berrettini to Tsitsipas similar players. "I think Tsitsipas also likes to play a service forehand and I think it will be good for me to pin him down in his backhand corner," Griekspoor told reporters after his first-round victory.

"It was my goal today, too, to pull him to his forehand and then pin him down, because he waits to rotate around his backhand.

"Tsitsipas is someone who looks for services on his ball 3rd ball forehand. Hopefully, that gives me a lot of returns to get away from that, but I’ll have to be very fierce tomorrow again," Griekspoor continued.

Less than 24 hours after his victory over Matteo Berrettini in the first round, Griekspoor encountered a familiar scenario as both players exhibited early control in their service games.

Tsitsipas was the first to challenge his opponent significantly, as the 12th-ranked Greek player came close to breaking Griekspoor in the fifth game, yet four break points proved insufficient, allowing Griekspoor to successfully repel the intense Greek pressure.

Griekspoor responded by creating a break point of his own, seizing the opportunity with an impressive cross-court forehand winner. However, after maintaining his own performance, Tsitsipas countered with a break that eliminated Griekspoor's three-game advantage.

Griekspoor's costly errors allowed Tsitsipas to re-enter the contest for the set, but the Dutch player rectified his mistakes on two occasions, bringing the score to 6-5 after delivering two aces accompanied by two triumphant shouts. Following a love game held by Tsitsipas against Griekspoor, a tiebreaker became necessary to determine the winner of the set.

The initial critical mini-break favored Griekspoor, who capitalized on this early lead with a well-placed slice and excellent defensive play against Tsitsipas' aggressive shots. After Tsitsipas managed a mini-break, Griekspoor found himself with his first opportunity to secure the set on Tsitsipas' serve. However, the Dutchman mishit both serves and required a third set point to finally claim the first set.

In a closely contested second set, neither player established an early advantage, as there were no breakpoints and a significant number of service points—out of the 63 points played before the tiebreak, 48 were won on serve.

The ensuing tiebreak began favorably for Griekspoor, who took an early lead of 2-1 following a perfect slice and an ace. Tsitsipas, however, was determined not to let Griekspoor gain too much ground, as the Dutchman struggled to respond effectively to the Greek's service game. Firmly maintaining his control in the tiebreak, Tsitsipas saved a match point for Griekspoor and ultimately emerged victorious after a critical error from the Dutchman proved costly.

Tsitsipas, buoyed by his victory in the second-set tiebreak, commenced the decisive third set with his initial break of the match. He soon threatened to secure another break as Griekspoor found himself in a precarious position due to a series of errors. However, the Dutch player responded effectively, managing to withstand the pressure from the resurgent Greek.

As the match neared the 150-minute mark, a weary Griekspoor struggled to penetrate Tsitsipas' defenses and to return his formidable serves. Nevertheless, the Dutchman rallied and achieved a vital break in the seventh game, converting his second breakpoint.

With the momentum shifting back to Griekspoor, he began to approach the net more frequently, which allowed Tsitsipas the opportunity to regain a one-break advantage. The Dutchman successfully defended against another breakpoint and clinched a pivotal fifth game with an impressive cross-body shot.

Despite his efforts, Griekspoor could not prevent a second break as Tsitsipas seized control once more in the 36th game of the match, leaving the Dutchman battling for a place in the quarter-finals of his cherished tournament, often referred to by his former coach as "the fifth Grand Slam."

After saving Tsitsipas' first match point, the Greek player converted his second opportunity to secure the victory, eliminating the last Dutch competitor from the ABN AMRO Open after a grueling 2 hours and 59 minutes.