Dutch duo Griekspoor and Van de Zandschulp knock out Zverev and Medvedev at Canadian Open
Dutch pair Tallon Griekspoor and Botic van de Zandschulp knocked out top seed Alexander Zverev and fourth seed Daniil Medvedev in the Canadian Open second round on Wednesday, as six of the tournament's top 10 seeds fell by the end of the day in Montreal.
Top seed falls
Alexander Zverev, the top seed and world number three, was beaten 6-7(3) 6-2 6-4 by Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor in the second round of the Canadian Open in Montreal on Wednesday. Zverev, who won Roland Garros this year and reached the Wimbledon final last month, had a first-round bye and was playing his first match since the Wimbledon loss to Jannik Sinner. The German, champion in Montreal in 2017, arrived as the tournament favorite after the withdrawals of world number one Sinner, 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic, and world number two Carlos Alcaraz, who is nursing a wrist injury.
Griekspoor, ranked 69th in the world, had won only one of his last eight tour-level matches. He had beaten Zverev twice in 11 previous meetings, with the German winning nine. The match lasted over two and a half hours, with Griekspoor earning the first break point of the match at 6-5 in the first set but failing to convert. He lost the tiebreak 7-3, then broke Zverev twice in the second set and once more in the third after Zverev had recovered to 4-4.
- Zverev wins
- 9 wins
- Griekspoor wins
- 2 wins
Dutch double
Botic van de Zandschulp compounded the Dutch success by defeating fourth seed Daniil Medvedev 6-3 7-6(5), securing his first win over the 2021 US Open champion. Medvedev, who made 40 unforced errors, missed what would have been his 100th Masters-level victory. Van de Zandschulp next faces Poland's Hubert Hurkacz.
I played him a couple of times, and it has always been tough. I never beat him before, but today I had to change it up, go out of my comfort zone and I think I did it well.
Seeds scattered
US seventh seed Taylor Fritz, who won his biggest title in nearly four years at the Washington Open last week, fell 7-5 6-3 to Argentine Thiago Agustin Tirante. Sixth seed Flavio Cobolli and 10th seed Andrey Rublev also lost their opening matches, while fifth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime withdrew with a back injury. The departures left the ATP 1000 event with just four of the top 10 seeds still in the draw.
- Top seed and world No. 3 Alexander Zverev beaten 6-7(3) 6-2 6-4 by world No. 69 Tallon Griekspoor
- Fourth seed Daniil Medvedev beaten 6-3 7-6(5) by Botic van de Zandschulp, who earns first win over the Russian
- Seventh seed Taylor Fritz, coming off Washington Open title, loses 7-5 6-3 to Thiago Agustin Tirante
- Sixth seed Flavio Cobolli and 10th seed Andrey Rublev lose opening matches; fifth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime withdraws with back injury
Griekspoor's relief
Griekspoor, working with new coach Thomas Högstedt, described the win as one of the most special of his career. The 30-year-old from Haarlem reached the Dubai final in February but could not play the match due to injury, and has struggled since.
I've been very close to throwing in the towel a couple of times. I've been working harder and harder lately and I've reached quite a good level in practice over the past couple of weeks. I felt like it was just a matter of time. This one is special, especially against a player like Sascha.
Griekspoor will face the winner of the match between Hungary's Fabian Marozsan and Italy's Matteo Arnaldi in the third round.
US Open preparation
The defeat is a setback for Zverev's preparations for the US Open, which begins on August 30. Zverev had said he needed competitive rhythm ahead of the Cincinnati Masters, the next stop before the year's final Grand Slam. He had also criticized the ATP calendar and the new Masters 1000 format, which now runs nearly two weeks, saying the extended duration causes excessive wear and is one reason Sinner and Djokovic skipped Montreal.
