After getting off to a hot start on Ahoy’s Centre Court, Griekspoor and Van de Zandschulp handed the initiative to their German opponents. The top-ranked Dutch duo couldn’t break Krawietz and Puetz once after the opening game, letting some impressive shots go to waste on their way to a 6-3 set defeat.
Griekspoor and Van de Zandschulp—opponents during Sunday’s doubles final at the Occitanie Open in the French city of Montpellier—walked into the same trap just one set later after winning their opening two service games and falling behind immediately after.
A strong seventh game put them right back in the race and gave them the confidence to break the German duo for a 4-4 score in games after Griekspoor saved a tough rally by hitting a narrow shot across the net.
A tough battle between the neighbours from the Netherlands and Germany ensued and had to be decided via a tiebreak after exchanging three consecutive breaks in the closing stages.
With the score at 5-5, a technical difficulty causing the screens and speakers to announce preemptive setpoint temporarily disturbed the match before Krawietz and Puetz pulled off a tiebreak win, eliminating the home favourites at the first time of asking.