Jannik Sinner will play Tallon Griekspoor in the first round in Halle | ATP Tour

Halle

Sinner’s first rival as world No. 1 in Halle is…

Zverev, Medvedev, Hurkacz, Berrettini are also in the ATP 500

June 15, 2024

Jannik Sinner’s life as No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings will begin with a first-round showdown against Tallon Griekspoor at the Terra Wortmann Open.

The 22-year-old Italian does not trust his first rival of the year on grass at the ATP 500 in Halle. Griekspoor won a grass circuit title in ‘s-Hertogenbosch last year, and the Dutchman was the only player to win a set from Sinner during his run to the Miami title in March.

However, Sinner will come into the match with a 4-0 lead in the Lexus ATP Head2Head series against Griekspoor. If he passes his first test on German grass, the 13-time circuit champion will face Fabian Marozsan or Roman Safiullin. Sixth-seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas is a possible opponent for Sinner in the quarterfinals, while defending champion Daniil Medvedev and Alexander Bublik are possible opponents in the semifinals.

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Tsitsipas opens his campaign against local wildcard Henri Squire. Third seed Medvedev, a finalist in Halle in 2022, will play Nuno Borges first, and Bublik will begin his title defense against a qualifier.

At the bottom of the draw, local favorite Alexander Zverev also faces a qualifier looking to bounce back from his loss at Roland Garros to Carlos Alcaraz. Zverev, who reached two consecutive finals in Halle in 2016 and 2017, could face Felix Auger-Aliassime in the quarterfinals if both players make it that far.

The third quarter of the draw features Andrey Rublev, fourth seed, Hubert Hurkacz, champion in 2022, and Matteo Berrettini, former Top 10. As fifth seed, Hurkacz will face Flavio Cobolli in the first round, while the Brazilian #NextGenATP Joao Fonseca could be his rival in the second round.

Rublev begins his week against Marcos Girón, and Berrettini or a qualifier awaits him in the second round. Berrettini, 28, has won three of his eight ATP Tour crowns on grass, and on Sunday he will play for another title at the BOSS OPEN in Stuttgart, where he will face Jack Draper in the championship match.