The first evening performance of the ABN AMRO Open 2024 might have been a lot of fun for neutral tennis fans. But for supporters of home talent Tallon Griekspoor, the first match of the night session was a true emotional rollercoaster of nearly three hours. The best Dutch tennis player of the moment, currently ranked 29th, battled past Italy’s World No. 26 Lorenzo Musetti, in three electrifying sets 3-6, 7-6 (7), 7-6(3). After the match, the Dutchman declared that he had achieved one of his greatest victories: 'Because that's what it's all about: being able to win even on bad days.’

Griekspoor suffered a disappointing start and mainly fought against himself in the first set. He complained about his racket tension and even about his tennis shorts, which he quickly changed in the locker room at the break. Yet after an hour of frustration and pulling his hair out, Griekspoor managed to find the resilience needed to believe in his game. Bludgeoning his way through with powerful strikes, he edged himself into a third set, after a nail-biting tiebreak. In the decider, Musetti took the lead again and was up 4-1. The 21-year-old Italian even had two match points at 6-5, after which the Amsterdam native came out on top. There was another nerve-wracking exchange, and the crowd could finally rejoice on Center Court.

'It was a lot of work and a huge fight, I had to come back from so far away,’ Griekspoor debriefed after the match. 'Fortunately, I served well on those two match points against me. Had I been abroad, this match could have turned out very differently, but I really enjoy playing in The Netherlands and in Rotterdam. The audience supported me, and fortunately I was able to turn it around.’

Jesper de Jong, the other Dutch singles player who played on the opening day of the main tournament, also lived up to his reputation of a huge fighter. But in his case, it was enough for  his debut on the Center Court in Ahoy against service powerbot Milos Raonic, who won the match 6-7 (5-7) 4-6.  The tall Canadian had fallen very low in the rankings due to back injuries after his Wimbledon final in 2016. Against his opponent of the day, the 23-year-old Haarlemmer only managed one to gain breakpoint against the former world No. 3. And with an advantage at 4-4 in the first set, De Jong chose the wrong corner.

'If I hit that ball to his backhand, it would have been a different match,’ said the world number 141. 'I didn't play badly, but I did make two mistakes.’ The other mistake that De Jong was referring to was a double fault at another crucial point at 5-5 in the tiebreak. 'Before the match you know that 20 aces can fly around your ears and you hope for one good game on his serve. I didn't take the opportunities.’ Realistically, he also concluded:  'What do I learn from this? That I just have to get better.’