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Opelka let slip a 5-2 lead in the second set, and later stood just two points from defeat at 5/5 in the tie-break, but he held firm to force a deciding set which he subsequently dominated.

“It was a tricky match. He had me for sure,” Opelka said. “It’s the first time I’ve played Jesper. Obviously I’ve been watching him, especially over the past couple of week when he’s had a lot of big wins. 

"I’ve been really impressed. I watched him play [Davidovich] Fokina in Rome, and I hadn’t really seen him play before that. He beat [Joao] Fonseca last week, so he’s really improving and a hell of a player.”

Opelka struck 19 aces past De Jong to secure a two-hour, 43-minute triumph on his ‘s-Hertogenbosch debut. The world-number 87, who upset Novak Djokovic en route to the Brisbane final in Januray, next faces a second-round clash with Nicolas Jarry. Top seed Daniil Medvedev is a potential quarter-final opponent for the winner.

Zizou Bergs and Mackenzie McDonald also earned three-set wins in the Netherlands. Bergs prevailed 6-3, 1-6, 7-6(3) in an all-Belgian affair against Alexander Blockx to set a meeting with fourth seed Alexei Popyrin.

Meanwhile McDonald overcame Mattia Bellucci 6-1, 6-7(4), 6-3 and will next face third seed Karen Khachanov.

With Hubert Hurkacz against Roberto Bautista Agut among the matches moved to due to the interruptions in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, the only other men’s singles winner on Day 2 was Otto Virtanen. The Finnish wild card downed Tomas Martin Etcheverry 7-6(6), 7-5 to book a second-round appointment with Nuno Borges.