The grass-court season’s habit of humbling its defending champions struck early at the Libéma Open, where Gabriel Diallo’s title defence ended almost before it began.
The upset. Diallo, who lifted the trophy here a year ago, was beaten in the first round by the wily French left-hander Adrian Mannarino — a grass-court specialist whose flat, skidding ball is tailor-made for the low bounce of Rosmalen. For the Canadian it was a deflating start to the swing and a reminder of how little margin the surface affords once an opponent finds rhythm.
Up top. The seeds otherwise held their ground. Second seed Alex de Minaur came through his match to move into the latter stages, the Australian’s clean ball-striking and movement translating smoothly from clay to grass. Top seed Felix Auger-Aliassime — the highest-ranked man in the draw and seeded first — was scheduled to open his campaign on Thursday against Hungary’s Marton Fucsovics, a familiar foe he has met repeatedly, while former US Open champion and No. 3 seed Daniil Medvedev was due on Centre Court against Dutch hope Thijs Boogaard. Both arrive with question marks: Auger-Aliassime had not played since a Roland Garros run, and Medvedev exited Paris in the first round and has no grass matches yet this year.
Canadian color. There was a happier Canadian subplot in the doubles, where Auger-Aliassime reunited with Denis Shapovalov for a first-round win, and Bianca Andreescu paired with France’s Lois Boisson to advance on the women’s side — a reminder of the festival-style intimacy that makes Rosmalen a popular soft launch to the grass.
The stakes. As an ATP 250, the Libéma Open offers modest points but outsized value as a grass tune-up. With Auger-Aliassime and Medvedev only now stepping on, the draw still has its marquee names to come — and, after Diallo’s exit, a guaranteed new men’s champion in ‘s-Hertogenbosch.
