The first-round at the ABN AMRO Open in Rotterdam already gives us a super interesting matchup. We have the top-seeded Alex de Minaur, a man who has practically made the Rotterdam Ahoy his second home, taking on the explosive Arthur Fils that is back on the tour following injury problems.
If you’ve been following the tour recently, you know De Minaur is no longer just a fast, defensive player. He’s a legitimate top-tier threat who has added serious weight to his groundstrokes and is looking for the next step up. But in Fils, he faces a player who can blow anyone off the court when the timing is right and he’s been in good form right away on his return to the tour.
Having not played since last summer, Fils defeated Valentin Royer and Ugo Blanchet in Montpellier last week, before being defeated by upcoming champion Felix Auger-Aliassime in the quarters.
Head-to-Head & Form
The H2H sits at 1-1. Interestingly, their last meeting at Wimbledon 2024 saw Fils take the win, but De Minaur leveled things up earlier that year in Barcelona. They never met on hard-courts.
De Minaur will likely try to stay at the baseline and take the ball early as he does not want to let Fils dictate too much with his forehand.
The Rotterdam surface is relatively fast and it might favors De Minaur’s flat hitting and also gives Fils less time to wind up those huge swings.
Predictions
De Minaur’s consistency, recent good form in Melbourne and history in Rotterdam make him the favorite here. Also at bookmakers where he’s set at odds around 1.32.
Prediction: Alex de Minaur in two tight sets (1.90 or -110). Might see one tie-break.