ATP leader Jannik Sinner (22) has a tricky task to master at the start of the 31st TERRA WORTMANN OPEN: The Italian world number one will play Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor, the first unseeded professional in the main draw of the ATP 500 grass court classic, in the opening round. Sinner will be competing in Halle-Westphalia for the first time in his career as the number one in men's tennis. Meanwhile, Olympic champion Alexander Zverev (ATP 4) will be up against a qualifier in round one. Sinner and Zverev (27), the two top seeds, are also regarded as natural co-favorites for the coveted trophy. "The tournament's number one and two are also really clear candidates for victory in this case," said Tournament Director Ralf Weber.
South Tyrol's star player Sinner has been preparing for the competition in Halle-Westphalia, which features five top ten players, since Thursday. His opponent Griekspoor (ATP 23) had recently squandered a 4:1 lead in a duel with Alexander Zverev at the French Open with a double break in the fifth and deciding set of the third round duel there. The 27-year-old Griekspoor lost his semi-final match in Hertogenbosch this Saturday against the American Sebastian Korda. Sinner took a break from competition between his semi-final exit in Paris against the eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz, as did Roland Garros finalist Zverev. The German front man also arrived in Halle-Westphalia four days before the start of the main draw.
Local hero Jan-Lennard Struff (ATP 35) will face Italian Luciano Darderi (ATP 41), one of five representatives of the Federazione Italiana Tennis, in his opening match. If the Warstein native wins, he will face either Stefanos Tsitsipas (ATP 11) or Duisburg wild card starter Henri Squire (ATP 178) in the round of 16. Like his German colleague Dominik Koepfer (ATP 65), Squire took part in the draw on the OWL local radio stage. Koepfer from the Black Forest - who also has a wildcard in the big titanium battle - was allocated the Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime (ATP 18), the number eight seed, in the game of chance.
World number five Daniil Medvedev will play Portuguese player Nuno Borges (ATP 48) in the first round - the number six in the tennis charts, Andrey Rublev, will test his strength against American Marcos Giron (ATP 54) at the start. Tournament director Weber was also able to announce a top newcomer: The 2021 Wimbledon finalist, Italian Matteo Berrettini (ATP 95), has moved into the main draw thanks to the so-called "special exempt" rule - replacing the injured Japanese player Kei Nishikori. Berrettini is currently in the semi-finals of the Stuttgart ATP competition.
