The French Open final ended the clay-court season and tournaments like the Libema Open started the grass-court season. Held in Rosmalen, ‘s-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands, it started on the 10th of June and would run until the 16th of June.
Tallon Griekspoor, the defending champion, was seeded 6th in this year’s edition, with an ATP ranking of 23rd. Above him in the seeding are Adrian Mannarino (5th), Karen Khachanov (4th), Ugo Humbert (3rd), Tommy Paul (2nd), and Alex de Minaur (1st). The top four seeds got byes to the second round.
Adrian Mannarino, ranked 21st on the ATP rankings, came from behind to defeat a qualifier, Stefano Napolitano, in the first round while the defending champion, Tallon Griekspoor, needed three tiebreaks to break Miomir Kecmanovic down in his first-round clash of the Libema Open.
Libema Open 2nd Round Summary
After defeating Napolitano in the first round of the Libema Open, Adrian Mannarino clashed with another qualifier, Gijs Brouwer, in the second round. Gijs Brouwer is currently ranked No. 232 in the ATP rankings.
The qualifier was more dominant in his first serves than in his second serve against the 5th seed. He was able to smash five aces past the Frenchman, compared to the Frenchman’s three. Out of 42 points contested in his first serve, he won 34 points.
In comparison, Mannarino’s Libema Open second-round first serves weren’t going to plan as he struggled to convert 16 of the 29 points created on his first serve. On Mannarino’s first serve, Brouwer also had a better conversion. He scored 13 of the 29 points contested for.
However, Mannarino’s second serve was more convincing than Brouwer’s. The Frenchman happened to score 14 of the 27 points contested for on his second serve, while also winning seven of the 10 points contested for on Brouwer’s second serve.
Across the two sets, Brouwer converted four of seven breakpoints while Mannarino struggled to convert one of three chances. The qualifier defeated the 5th seed in straight sets 6-3, 6-3.
Brouwer’s 1st Set Dominance
In the first set of their Libema Open second-round clash, Gijs Brouwer looked the most dominant and convincing of the pair. He scored four points on his first serve from aces, the remaining 15 of the 21 contested points coming from dominant play.
All through the first set, Brouwer kept Adrian Mannarino at bay, ensuring he didn’t create a single breakpoint all set. Brouwer’s dominance created four breakpoints of his own, although Mannarino happened to save three of them.
Brouwer’s return game was also top-notch, stealing six points off Mannarino’s first serve and four points (33%), off his second serve.
Dominance Continues In 2nd Set
With one foot in the Libema Open third round, Gijs Brouwer ensured he remained at the top of his game in the second set of the second-round clash. Adrian Mannarino also stepped up his performance to steal a set and score an equalizer.
Mannarino cut out the double faults, dropping from two in the first set to none in the second set. In the second set, he created three breakpoints, unlike the first set where Brouwer restricted him to none. However, the Frenchman was only able to convert one of them.
On the other hand, the qualifier from Netherlands, dominated Mannarino with winners, smashing 14 winners past the Frenchman compared to the Frenchman’s six.
What stole the Libema Open second-round clash for the Dutchman was his breakpoint dominance. He converted all three breakpoints to offset the Frenchman’s single break of his serve and win the set 6-3.
The second-round Libema Open victory for Gijs Brouwer over Adrian Mannarino means he’d face one of the two Frenchmen who are playing later today: the 3rd seed, Ugo Humbert or the No. 38 ranked Arthur Fils.
Note:
Aside from news on the Libema Open, Rafael Nadal will represent Spain in the upcoming Olympics. He will also be in a doubles team with recent French Open champion, Carlos Alcaraz. The jury is still out on when 24-time Grand Slam champion, Novak Djokovic will be back from injury.
About the Author
Ebenezer has been an avid writer for over a decade and a half. Within that period, he has garnered experience in various fields such as editing, graphics design, transcribing, sales, data analysis, and football management. He’s also the author of the mystery thriller novel “The Eye of Ra.” For more articles by Ebenezer Ugorji, click here and here!
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