Tim van Rijthoven has won the Libéma Open. In the final, the Roosendaler was too strong for Daniil Medvedev, the upcoming number one in the world, in two sets. It is the first time since 2003 that a Dutchman wins the grass tournament in Rosmalen.
The big question was the end of Tim van Rijthoven’s fairy tale. The final spot was already a great achievement for the number 205 in the world. But the Roosendaler wanted more. In the final he faced the upcoming number one in the world Daniil Medvedev.
But there was absolutely no awe. The surprise of the tournament played its own game and grew in the match. In the beginning, the two were evenly matched. Each was broken once. Van Rijthoven managed to do that a second time later in the set, winning the first set 6-4.
Demonstration
The second set was a demonstration by Van Rijthoven. He quickly took a 5-0 lead. In the sixth game he already got his first match point, but the Russian skillfully served it away. It became 5-1. Van Rijthoven was then allowed to complete his fairy tale in his own service game. He did an excellent job, winning the second set and the match 6-1.
It is the first time since 2003 that a Dutchman has won the Rosmalen grass tournament. But the fact that Van Rijthoven wins an ATP Tour as number 205 in the world says enough about the unprecedented achievement. A dream come true for the Roosendaler who wanted to stop playing tennis not so long ago. He’ll be glad it didn’t come to that.