Libéma Open 2023 Men's Report

The 2023 Libéma Open once again boasted a field of top-tier players. Just like in 2022, Daniil Medvedev was present in Rosmalen, and with Jannik Sinner, Borna Coric, and Alex de Minaur, several other top-tier players from the world's top twenty were on the entry list. Milos Raonic's presence was also noteworthy. The Canadian service star had not played a top-level match since July 2021, but returned to the 2023 Libéma Open after a long injury layoff, ready to make his ATP debut.

However, the tournament (and the Dutch public) also faced a number of setbacks. World-class players Felix Auger-Aliassime and Marin Cilic were unable to attend due to physical difficulties, and Tim van Rijthoven was also unable to attempt to defend his title. Our compatriot was still experiencing too much discomfort from his injury and couldn't be prepared in time for the Libéma Open 2023. The same applied to Botic van de Zandschulp, who was also unable to compete in Rosmalen due to an injury. Because players like Jesper de Jong, Robin Haase, and Jelle Sels also failed to advance through the qualifying rounds, there were "only" two Dutch trump cards in the main draw of the Libéma Open 2023, namely Tallon Griekspoor and Gijs Brouwer.

Highlights Libéma Open 2023

For Gijs Brouwer, the tournament was over after a single match. The tall North Hollander, who had made a strong showing at the 2023 ABN Amro Open – also held on home soil – was eliminated in three sets by Rinky Hijikata (ATP-133). Brouwer managed to win the first set via tiebreak, but the Australian won 6-2 and 6-3 in the second and third sets. Griekspoor, on the other hand, did manage to win his opening round against Mikael Ymer and then faced Alexei Popyrin. Griekspoor played very strongly against the Australian, ranked number ninety, and after an hour of tennis, he left the court with a 6-3/6-2 victory, securing a place in the quarterfinals.

Surprisingly, Medvedev, the top seed, didn't reach the quarterfinals. The tall Russian, a losing finalist in Rosmalen last year, couldn't make it in his first grass match of the season against Frenchman Adrian Mannarino. Medvedev did win the first set (4-6), but after a 6-4/6-2 victory for Mannarino in the second and third sets, Medvedev quickly fell, having also had a dispute with the umpire in the third set. Fifth-seeded Miomir Kecmanovic also had to bow out in his first match. He was no match for the experienced Raonic, who won his first match in two years 6-3/6-4.

Coric and Raonic also stranded

In the round of 16, the same round where Medvedev was surprisingly eliminated, the third-seeded Coric also failed to defeat his opponent. American Mackenzie McDonald (ATP-68) defeated the Croat with a 6-4/6-4 score, who subsequently saw Raonic exit the tournament. The Canadian held firm in the first set against Jordan Thompson (7-6 loss), but saw his Australian opponent easily overtake him in the second set (6-1). Thus, Thompson, McDonald, Mannarino, and Griekspoor advanced to the quarterfinals, where they were joined by De Minaur, Sinner, Emil Ruusuvuori, and Hijikata.

Griekspoor, the only Dutchman remaining in the final eight, faced De Minaur, the world number eighteen. The first set was close for a long time, with Griekspoor losing his serve in the ninth game and subsequently losing the set 6-4. However, our compatriot refused to give up and leveled the score with a break in the fourth game of the second set, after which a deciding set was needed. Under the watchful eye of a boisterous crowd, Griekspoor managed to steal a service game from De Minaur in this set as well, securing a crucial victory over the Australian, propelling him into the semifinals.

Ruusuvuori too strong for Sinner

In that semifinal, Griekspoor surprisingly faced Ruusuvuori. The Finn, ranked 44th in the world, pulled off an upset by defeating the Italian talent Sinner (ATP-9) 6-3/6-4, thus transforming the semifinal into a clash between Griekspoor and Ruusuvuori. In that match, Griekspoor shot out of the blocks like a rocket, immediately winning his opponent's service game and taking the set 6-4 shortly after. In the second set, a single break proved enough to secure the set. Griekspoor broke Ruusuvuori at 5-5 and then skillfully served out the match (7-5), after which he could begin preparing for the final. There, he faced Australian Thompson, who defeated Mannarino in the quarterfinals (5-7/7-6/6-2) and defeated his compatriot Hijikata in the semifinals (7-6/6-3).

Libéma Open 2023 Final

The final of the 2023 Libéma Open between Griekspoor and Thompson was a thrilling affair. The first two games of the match both resulted in breaks, after which both players managed to win their own service games repeatedly in the remainder of the set. This led to a tiebreak, which the Australian ultimately won. Neither player gave up much on their own serve in the second set either, until Griekspoor suddenly had three break chances in the ninth game and capitalized on the second. This gave our compatriot the opportunity to serve out the set himself, but Thompson immediately leveled the score at 5-5. However, Griekspoor showed strong play in the tiebreak that followed (7-3), after which a deciding set was needed.

In this third set, Griekspoor increasingly found his rhythm, and the North Hollander managed to break Thompson in the sixth game, after which he faced no further trouble on his own serve: 6-3. Thus, the final of the 2023 Libéma Open was won by a Dutchman for the second year in a row – after Van Rijthoven in 2022 – and Griekspoor secured his second ATP title of the year, having previously topped the table in Pune. Moreover, the newly crowned 2023 Libéma Open winner became the best Dutchman , occupying ^29th place in the ATP Rankings, thus surpassing Van de Zandschulp.