Tallon does it again: a semi-final rematch against Sinner

Sometimes, a story on a loop can lead to boredom but in Tallon Griekspoor’s case, it’s quite the opposite, for the fans in Ahoy’s greatest delight. Just like last year, the best Dutch tennis player of the moment has qualified for the semi-finals at the ABN AMRO Open. This time in the quarter-finals he defeated Finnish talent Emil Ruusuvuori:  7-5, 7-6 (4).

'I am incredibly happy,’ is how the 27-year-old Amsterdammer best described his immediate feeling after the match. 'Playing at home is the best thing there is for me. Man, on a Friday night in front of my home crowd, in a sold-out house, that's something I really enjoy. This is why I play tennis, what I train for every day.’

Griekspoor is the first Dutchman since Richard Krajicek in 1997 and 1998, to reach the final four in Rotterdam Ahoy for the second consecutive time. He has now successfully defended his considerable amount of points gained last year (180), and even earned a slight increase with the 200 points minimum he will receive in 2024. He no longer has to worry about not covering his expenses this month. With his ABN AMRO Open wins this year, that’s already a minimum of 114,490 euros in the bank.

'The biggest gain for me, is that I’m back in the semi-finals,’ assured the World No. 29. 'I felt some pressure, partly because I was already 4-0 up in my head-to-head against Ruusuvuori. After all, when you are the favorite, it sometimes feels like there is nothing to gain, you can only lose. But I handled it well. I think I managed to disrupt his game. And of course, the support from the crowd also helps me a lot.’

Griekspoor now has fourteen victories and only one defeat in his last fifteen matches in the Netherlands. That last defeat was in the semi-finals last year against Jannik Sinner, whom he will meet again on Saturday evening in Ahoy. Speaking of Groundhog Days... The Italian and reigning Australian Champion is therefore 'the man to beat'. In his quarter-final, he defeated former World No.3 Milos Raonic. The Canadian, who has been plagued by physical problems for years, retired at 7-6 (4) and 1-1 with a leg injury.

'Another match against Sinner is not the easiest task, he has won 29 of his last 33 matches and is clearly the best player at the moment. But we're just going to aim for the final on Sunday'. Once again Grieskspor seems to be looking ahead with strong determination, and then he winks: 'I'm looking forward to some more tiebreaks this week!’ He has already played six of them, and has won no less than five.

Long sets such with tiebreaks are indeed grueling, but it didn't feel that way for Griekspoor. 'Physically I feel pretty good. And I still have about 22 hours to recover. 'Hopefully, with a crowd that’s so loud and cheering me on again, I’ll have my chances.’

His next opponent, however who seems unbeatable lately, said he would take this into account. 'In the semi-final, I will have to play much better than I did tonight’ confessed Sinner, humble as ever. 'Also because I’ll be playing against the home hero, who has clearly improved over the last year. That will be a difficult match.' For the record, last year Sinner defeated Griekspoor in two tight sets : 7-5, 7-6 (5).