Get your popcorn prepared for what’s arguably the very best 500-point event of the complete tennis season. The ABN AMRO Open begins on Monday in Rotterdam, the place an absolute loaded discipline is readily available. Jannik Sinner is in motion since successful his first Grand Slam title on the Australian Open; he’s joined in Rotterdam by the likes of Andrey Rublev and Holger Rune. Right here is my preview of this week’s festivities along with event picks.
ABN AMRO Open
The place: Rotterdam, The Netherlands  Floor: Indoor exhausting  Factors: 500  Prize cash: 2,134,985 Euros Â
Prime seed: Jannik Sinner 2023 champion: Daniil Medvedev (not taking part in)Â
What is going to Sinner do for an encore? If the fourth-ranked Italian’s successful methods come to an finish any time quickly, it can in all probability be a results of psychological–and maybe some bodily–fatigue. It’s unlikely to be a end in any dip in his normal tennis degree. In spite of everything, the massive pattern dimension of Sinner’s success is sufficient to show that he’s with out query the very best participant on the earth proper now–no matter what the rankings say. Even earlier than triumphing in Melbourne, Sinner was on fireplace on the finish of final 12 months.
Unseeded final season at this Rotterdam occasion, Sinner is now the No. 1 seed. After all, that doesn’t imply he has a straightforward draw on the ABN AMRO; nobody does. The 22-year-old might meet Dens Shapovalov or Gael Monfils in spherical two, whereas Alexander Bublik is a possible quarterfinal foe and Hubert Hurkacz and Marseille champion Ugo Humbert are attainable semifinal opponents.
Rublev is the No. 2 seed and his quarter can also be house to Alex de Minaur, Felix Auger-Aliassime, and Sebastian Korda. Additionally within the backside of the bracket are Rune and Grigor Dimitrov. The Rune-Dimitrov quarter is fairly extensive open, because the Dane has been coping with some damage points and the Bulgarian is coming off a protracted week in Marseille (misplaced to Humbert within the closing on Sunday).
Quarterfinal picks: Jannik Sinner over Alexander Bublik, Hubert Hurkacz over Emil Ruusuvuori, Grigor Dimitrov over Roman Safiullin, and Andrey Rublev over Alex de MinaurÂ
Semifinals: Hurkacz over Sinner and Rublev over DimitrovÂ
Last: Hurkacz over RublevÂ
Ricky contributes to 10sballs.com and likewise maintains his personal tennis web site, The Grandstand. You’ll be able to observe him on Twitter at @Dimonator.
