First-round competition in Halle continues on Tuesday, when Andrey Rublev and Joao Fonseca take the court. Rublev, the No. 8 seed, meets Hubert Hurkacz — playing on a protected ranking. Fonseca goes up against Yannick Hanfmann.
(8) Andrey Rublev vs. (PR) Hubert Hurkacz
Rublev and Hurkacz will be squaring off for the seventh time in their careers when they clash in round one of the Terra Wortmann Open on Tuesday. Hurkacz leads the head-to-head series 4-2 after most recently defeating Rublev 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-4 on the indoor hard courts of Rotterdam in 2025. However, the 29-year-old Pole certainly doesn’t have the edge in current form. He is 9-12 on the main tour this season and is down at No. 103 in the world.
Following a slow start to the year, Rublev heated up on the clay-court swing with a runner-up effort in Barcelona, a quarterfinal performance in Rome, and a fourth-round showing at Roland Garros (lost to Jakub Mensik in five sets). Of course, the 13th-ranked Russian would have preferred to remain on clay for this particular matchup. Rublev is solid on grass, but Hurkacz’s serve can be a real nightmare for opponents on this surface. If Hurkacz puts in a high percentage of first deliveries, he will have a good chance to advance.
Pick: Hurkacz in 3
Joao Fonseca vs. Yannick Hanfmann
Fonseca is looking to build on an outstanding French Open performance as he begins his grass-court campaign in Halle. The 19-year-old Brazilian ousted both Novak Djokovic and Casper Ruud en route to the quarterfinals before succumbing to Mensik. Fonseca also came back from two sets down against Dino Prizmic, just as he did to upset Djokovic two days later.
Up first in Halle for the world No. 25 is Hanfmann, whom he has never faced. The 59th-ranked German has played well this season, but he is a borderline clay-court specialist. Grass is the only surface on which he has compiled a sub-.500 record throughout his career. Count on Fonseca maintaining momentum.
Pick: Fonseca in 2