Max Houkes, Niels Visker and Sidané Pontjodikromo qualified for the second round of the professional tournament in Haren without many problems. Stijn Slump (Havelte) was eliminated after a marathon match. Renee van Bommel, Mark’s daughter and girlfriend of FC Groningen goalkeeper Michael Verrips, immediately lost her first match.
The first round of the $15,000 tennis tournament, which is in its fourth edition, was unexpectedly also the final destination for Alec Deckers. The son of tennis legend Richard Krajicek, who has had two excellent tennis years (in which he climbed from a place just inside the best 2000 to position 483), lost in a nerve-racking match against his compatriot Dax Donders.
Drop match point
However, Deckers, who goes by the surname of his mother Daphne Deckers, was one stroke away from victory, as he received a match point that he did not use. Donders went on to win 6-3, 4-6, 6-7, knocking last year’s third-seeded finalist out of the tournament.
Sidané Pontjodikromo (ATP-597), seeded fourth, didn’t have too high a hurdle against the German Milan Welte (ATP-1164) and Pontjo won easily: 6-4, 6-0. In the second round, for a place in the quarterfinals, the born and bred Stadjer will play against Justin Roberts (ATP-833), who comes from the Bahamas, on Thursday. In doubles, Pontjodikromo, who forms a couple with Dax Donders, has already placed in the top eight.
Girlfriend Verrips loses
Under the watchful eye of FC Groningen keeper Michael Verrips and his teammate Marvin Peersman, Renee van Bommel lost her first match on the courts of TSH. The 21-year-old daughter of former international and Royal Antwerp coach Mark van Bommel regularly plays tournaments at this level, most recently in doubles. She is around 1200 on the WTA world rankings. In the first round of doubles, Van Bommel and her partner Emma van Poppel were unable to beat Rikke de Koning and Marente Sijbesma: 5-7, 1-6.
Stijn Slump from Havelte played against another tennis player who learned a lot in the United States: Sander Jong, who partly grew up in Assen. In a true marathon match, Jong just won: 7-6, 6-7, 6-4. The tiebreak in the first set, which was played around 4 p.m. in the heat, lasted to 16-14. In total, Slump and Jong were on center court for almost 3.5 hours.
Visker wins northern duel
In a northern meeting, Niels Visker from Lageland (ATP-883) was much too strong for Rodenaar Jarno Jans (ATP-869) on Wednesday evening: 6-1, 6-3. Visker will play for a place in the quarterfinals on Thursday against Italy’s Andrea Bolle, who had a walkover as second-seeded Lucas Catarina from Monaco was unable to play.
Thiemo de Bakker, the former number 40 in the world who is making a comeback, also easily qualified for the second round thanks to a victory over compatriot Elgin Khoeblal: 6-2, 6-1.
Houkes started like a spear
Max Houkes, the first seed Drent, did what he had to do in the first round: win. The German Alen Moritz Hodzic (ATP-1768) was his opponent, Houkes won 6-4 twice. ,,Not easy, indeed”, said the 23-year-old from Sleen. ,,I won the first sixteen points in a row, but after that he started playing tennis a lot better. Still won solid.”
Houkes, who won the tournament last year and is now one of the best 300 tennis players in the world, will play against compatriot Stijn Pel (ATP-1339) in the second round on Thursday.