2025 ATP Tour
ATP 250
Nordea Open (Swedish Open)
Bastad Tennis Stadium, Bastad, Sweden (Outdoor Clay)
Selected Quarterfinals- 18th July
Sebastian Baez (4) 0.8 vs Luciano Darderi (6) 0.98
He started the year successfully, reaching three ‘lesser’ ATP clay-court finals in the first four months. He won the ATP 500 title in Rio, becoming the first ever back-to-back champion of that event. But he completely capitulated as the tour moved into the significant clay-court events. It’s almost as if imposter syndrome kicks in when Baez reaches the elite events. He never looked great in his Bastad opener, needing to come back from a set down to see off Norwegian teenager Nicolai Budkov Kjaer 3-6, 6-2, 7-5. He will be hoping to use that scrappy win as a springboard for more sustained success. He has some positive experience on these Swedish clay-courts, finishing runner-up to Francisco Cerundolo back in 2022.
23-year-old Italian Luciano Darderi looked far more composed in his opening match, dispatching of sentimental favourite Elias Ymer 6-2, 6-2 (he hit 19 winners to just 14 unforced errors). The big-serving Italian looked solid on his delivery, firing eight aces while winning 73% of his first-serve points. Darderi hasn’t had an exceptional season but did produce his best form on the dirt, winning a 2nd career title in Marrakech before quarterfinal runs in Munich and Hamburg. He- like Baez- struggled against elevated opposition. But he just enjoyed some surprising success at Wimbledon, reaching the 3rd round despite going into the tournament on a five-match losing streak. Darderi’s game is tailormade for clay. He employs heavy topspin on his forehand wing, using it to peg his opponents back in extended rallies.
The Verdict: Darderi to win in straight sets at 2.2- Baez leads Darderi 4-1 in their head-to-head rivalry, winning their most recent meeting in four sets at last year’s US Open. I think that Darderi has the momentum behind him after that Ymer rout and could improve his record against the combative Baez. Baez looked tentative in his opener, committing 36 unforced errors against a relatively unknown teenager.
Tallon Griekspoor (2) 0.62 vs Jesper de Jong 1.26
This should prove to be a fascinating all-Dutch clash. Tallon Griekspoor will be making his first appearance since a shock first-round defeat to Jenson Brooksby at Wimbledon. The Dutchman went into SW19 in fine form, picking up his 2nd career title in Mallorca. Still, you can’t ignore how dangerous Griekspoor can be on his day. The hard-hitting Duthcman reached the Dubai semifinals towards the start of the season, beating Daniil Medvedev in the process. He reached a maiden Masters 1000 quarterfinal at Indian Wells and would go on to enjoy some surprising clay-court success, reaching a maiden clay-court final in Marrakech before a career-best Grand Slam run at Roland Garros (he reached the 4th round). Griekspoor thrives on quicker surfaces, using that pinpoint serve and brand of first-strike tennis to suffocate opponents. But he showed more patience on this year’s clay-court swing and will be desperate to bounce back after that surprising Wimbledon no-show.
25-year-old Jesper de Jong will be looking to beat Griekspoor for the 2nd time this season (he saw off his compatriot in this year’s Montpelier quarters). De Jong has struggled tremendously since that semifinal run in Montpelllier, going 3-7 in his ten matches prior to this tournament. He did enjoy some success at Challenger level, finishing runner-up at the Murcia Open (played on clay). To be fair, he encountered some horrendous draws during the clay-court swing, losing to Rublev and Sinner in the early stages of Barcelona and Rome respectively. He ran into Alex Zverev in he 2nd round of the French Open, nicking a set before the German ran away with the match. De Jong clearly knows how to grind it out on clay-courts, stealing a set off Alcaraz at last year’s French Open. He uses plenty of variety, throwing in drop-shots and charging the net to offset his opponents (a tactic his brilliantly used against Fonesca in Estoril earlier this year).
The Verdict: De Jong to win in three at 3.9– De Jong leads the head-to-head 1-0, beating Griekspoor in straight sets in that aforementioned Montpellier clash. De Jong clearly has some clay-court ability, with 11 of his 15 career Challenger finals coming on the sticky stuff. He is familiar with Griekspoor and understands how to combat his first-strike antics. De Jong has plenty of variety and could see off Griekspoor in three.