Jannik Sinner steals the show against homeboy Tallon Griekspoor

Tallon Griekspoor tried everything to make the headlines and reach the final at the ABN AMRO Open on home turf. During the match he called a medical time-out and requested the physio for a blister near his toes, regularly sought advice from his coaching staff in the stands. He reached high levels of frustration on several occasions, smashing his racket at times. At one point he also went on full attack; nonetheless, the result he hoped for so dearly didn’t materialise. Just like last year, his run ended in the semi-final on Saturday evening in a sold-out centre court at Rotterdam Ahoy.
 

Jannik Sinner, the best tennis player of the season so far, remained cool throughout the game and captured the win, seemingly unphased:  6-2 6-4. 'Tallon had a few breakpoints, and luckily I served well. It was certainly not an easy match’ the 22-year-old Italian concluded diplomatically. He can now comfortably prepare for the final against the Australian Alex de Minaur on Sunday afternoon. Both players have met on multiple occasions and the Italian leads 6-0 in their head-to-head.
 

Considering Griekspoor’s impressive victories earlier in the week (especially against top 10 member Hubert Hurkacz), this semi-final could be seen as anti-climactic. 'But it wasn't that bad’, the Dutchman reflected. 'The only thing I blame myself for is that I did not properly push him to the brink on his service game,’ said the 27-year-old Amsterdammer. 'In the second set, I was the better player until 4-4. I had four break points, but if you don't take them, against such a player you’ll end up losing. In my opinion, Sinner is the best player of the moment. He plays with so much confidence. The pressure he puts on you is all to his credit.”
 

Fortunately, the number 1 in Dutch tennis can look back on the week with three great matches in Rotterdam Ahoy in his arsenal. 'At the beginning of the week, you really sign up for that. You want to play at least three good matches. And in the end, I lost against an unleashed Sinner. Once again, for me right he's number one. I can't really blame myself for losing to a better player.’
 

In contrast to Griekspoor, it was quite a celebration for Alex de Minaur. The fifth-seed Australian had two things to celebrate: his 25th birthday in Rotterdam Ahoy, but also reaching the tournament’s final after beating Grigor Dimitrov 6-4, 6-3. 'This is the first victory on my birthday ever,’ laughed De Minaur, who will also make his return to the top 10 of the ATP rankings next week. The Sydney native left Ahoy yesterday afternoon with only one goal: 'Now I am on the hunt for a good restaurant in Rotterdam to celebrate my birthday with family. I hadn't reserved anything yet, because I'm not going to take that risk in advance.’