The ATP is in the Netherlands this week for the Rotterdam Open. Damien Kayat previews Ugo Humbert v Emil Ruusuvouri and Grigor Dmitrov v Lorenzo Sonego in the round of 32.
2024 ATP Tour – ATP 500
ABN AMRO Open- Rotterdam Open
Rotterdam Ahoy, Rotterdam, Netherlands
Selected Round of 32 Matches- 14 February
Ugo Humbert 78/100 vs Emil Ruusuvouri 1/1
This has the potential to be a really fascinating Valentine’s Day clash. 26-year-old Frenchman Ugu Humbert is finally starting to realize his massive potential. The lanky lefty has been dogged by inconsistency throughout his career. But the big-serving Humbert is finally starting to find a semblance of consistency.
He just reached a career-high singles ranking of 18 courtesy of victory in Marseille. That victory extended his indoor hardcourt winning streak to eight matches (he won in Metz towards the end of last year). And just take a look at the calibre of opponent he took down last week.
Humbert and Grigor Dimitrov have been two of the most in-from hardcourt players in the world over the last five months. He brushed both aside with relative ease, dominating on serve and picking them off from the baseline. He is playing with the wind at his back and will take some stopping this week.
It always feels like 24-year-old Finn Emil Ruusuvouri is one or two wins away from a major breakthrough. But- much like Humbert in years past- his consistency has been a real worry. That being said, the year started off on a really positive note for the Finnish baseliner.
He reached a second career ATP Final in Hong Kong, taking down second seed Karen Khachanov before falling to Rublev in the final. He then looked primed to pull off one of the biggest upsets of the year, leading by two sets in his second-round Aussie Open clash with Daniil Medvedev.
But the durable Russian pulled back the deficit to leave Ruusuvouri slightly shell-shocked. He was eliminated early last week and he will be looking for an improved showing in Rotterdam.
Verdict: Ruusuvouri to win in three sets at 36/10
I was quite shocked to learn that the Finn has an incredible 4-0 head-to-head advantage over the Frenchman. In fact, the Finn beat the Frenchman three times last season! However, this will be the first time that they will have met on hardcourts.
These Rotterdam courts are notoriously slow and I think that will likely pay into the Finn’s favour. He doesn’t have quite the same first-strike power of Humbert and the court speed should mitigate that disparity. Humbert may also be feeling a slight hangover from his exertions in Marseille. As is always the case, if you’re looking for a bit of security, back the Finn to win at evens.
Grigor Dimitrov 21/100 | Lorenzo Sonego 32/10
It’s so lovely to see Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov enjoying his tennis again. He seemed destined to languish in the shadow of ridiculous expectations. But he has got his body into tip-top order and he is playing some of his most consistent tennis in ages.
In fact, he is 20-5 since the start of last year’s Shanghai Masters. He broke a six-year title drought in Brisbane earlier this year and he is fresh off a slightly chastening final defeat to Humbert in Marseille. Currently ranked 13th in the world, the Bulgarian seems intent on breaking back into the top ten in the world rankings.
Dimitrov understands this arena, reaching the final here way back in 2018. That combination of court history and current form makes him a dangerous contender this week.
28-year-old Italian Lorenzo Sonego will be looking to ride the wave of positivity surrounding Italian tennis following Jannik Sinner’s brilliant Aussie Open triumph. In fact, many Italian tennis fans have been lauding Sonego since some viral footage went out of him practicing with Sinner in Rotterdam.
I think it’s fair to say that Sonego hasn’t quite managed to fulfil his potential. The three-time ATP Tour winner hasn’t reached a final since 2022 and he has fallen quite considerably in the world rankings. He did pick up a couple of decent results last year, reaching the fourth round of the French and Miami Opens.
But his play can become a little bit one-dimensional at times. He relies on a big serve and extremely flat groundstrokes to pummel opponents. I just think he lacks the nous to really get to the next level. That being said, he has enjoyed his best results on indoor hardcourts. He reached an ATP 500 final in Vienna in 2020 and his last victory came at the indoor event held in Metz in 2022.
Verdict: Dimitrov to win in straight sets at 68/100
This will be the first career meeting between these two. I really can’t think of anything clever for this encounter. Sonego generally prefers quicker surfaces and Dimitrov will be able to use his significant tennis IQ to control this match.
