Mees Röttgering fights until the bitter end

It was already a quarter past twelve on Tuesday when Mees Röttgering left the Centre Court, limping. The Limburg talent, who had been admitted to the main draw on a wildcard as the world number one in the junior rankings, was physically unable to offer the Italian qualifier the resistance he had hoped for earlier in the day and lost in straight sets 3-6, 2-6. "It's the first time for me to get cramps on the court," lamented Röttgering (17), who was treated for cramps by the tournament physiotherapist at the start of the second set. "That's largely due to the tension. Things weren't going well in my first service game, which I lost straight away. The tension gradually decreased, but he hardly missed anything."

Three seeded players were in action on the first day of play, with two former tournament winners featured in the first evening match. Second seed Daniil Medvedev had his hands full in a marathon match lasting 2 hours and 27 minutes against the experienced Swiss player Stan Wawrinka: 6-7, 6-4, 6-1. "This was a really tough match,” Medvedev said after booking his sixth win in a row in Rotterdam. "As the match progressed, I started playing better and better. My experience here is that I always have to grow in the tournament.”

Sixth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas was absent from the previous edition of the ABN AMRO Open, but the 26-year-old Greek has certainly not forgotten how to win in Ahoy. The world number twelve had few problems with the young Frenchman Harold Mayot: 6-1, 7-5. "Playing on the Centre Court in Rotterdam feels like a home game," said Tsitsipas, who will meet the winner of the match between Tallon Griekspoor and Matteo Berrettini in the next round. "I am very happy with my game. The level of my opponent went up in the second set, but I played well at the important moments."

Hubert Hurkacz was the first player to reach the second round in singles at the 52nd edition of the ABN AMRO Open. The Polish big server defeated Italy’s Flavio Cobolli in straights sets after 77 minutes (6-3, 6-2).