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After finishing runner-up at the indoor hard-court ATP 500 event in both 2024 and 2025, De Minaur wasted little time in reminding the field why he is the player to beat this week.

”It was never going to be easy. I told myself I was ready for a battle, up for the challenge, and excited for it,” De Minaur said of his clash with Fils, who was competing in his second tournament since returning from an eight-month back injury. “I haven’t had too many easy matches this year and I’m looking at this as a challenge, which I’m enjoying. It pushes me to be ready from the first point.”

De Minaur will next face Aleksandar Vukic or 2015 Rotterdam champion Stan Wawrinka, who is playing his final season on Tour. The No. 8 player in theATP Rankings also extended his lead for the most ATP 500 wins since the start of the 2023 season.

Earlier, seventh seed Tallon Griekspoor delighted his home crowd with a classy 6-4, 6-4 win over Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard. 

With his 11th victory in Rotterdam, the 29 year-old tied Tom Okker for the fourth-most among Dutchmen in tournament history.

Griekspoor saved all six break points he faced, according to Infosys ATP Stats, against Mpetshi Perricard and fired 10 aces. He will next meet Quentin Halys, who rallied past 18-year-old home qualifier Mees Rottgering 3-6, 6-1, 6-1 in one hour, 54 minutes.

Jan-Lennard Struff surged past French qualifier Hugo Grenier 6-0, 6-4 in just 64 minutes to improve to 2-0 in their head-to-head.

It marked Struff’s second tour-level win of the season after defeating Juan Pablo Varillas en route to Germany’s 4-0 Davis Cup victory over Peru. Struff awaits Hubert Hurkacz or third seed Alexander Bublik in the second round.