Felix Auger-Aliassime, the 2022 champion, is set to kick off his campaign against Alexei Popyrin at the ATP 500 event held in Rotterdam Ahoy, Netherlands. The match will take place on indoor hard courts, with broadcast coverage available on Sky Sports Tennis in the UK and Tennis Channel in the USA. Fans can also watch online through Sky Go and Tennis Channel platforms.
Popyrin is facing a challenging phase in his career, currently on a nine-match losing streak with his last victory on tour dating back to August. His struggles were evident in the first round of the Australian Open where he narrowly missed out on a win against Alexandre Muller, losing in a five-set thriller. Following that, he participated in the Manama Challenger as the top seed but unfortunately lost in straight sets to Ugo Blanchet.
On the other hand, Auger-Aliassime experienced an early exit at the Australian Open but has recently regained form, successfully defending his title at the Open Occitanie and securing his ninth tour-level victory. He demonstrated impressive performance, not getting broken in his last three matches, and is eager to carry this momentum into his matchup in Rotterdam.
While Popyrin holds a 2-0 lead in their head-to-head encounters from earlier in 2023, the recent shift in performance suggests Auger-Aliassime is the clear favorite heading into this match. Predictions lean towards a strong showing from the Canadian, with recommendations suggesting a win for him in straight sets, specifically 2-0 against Popyrin.