ANTWERP/WASHINGTON, September 17, 2024 (by Michael Dickens)
With five Top 30 players plus charismatic Belgian Zizou Bergs entered, next month’s European Open has high hopes of delivering to its fans another world-class tournament. This year’s ninth edition of the ATP 250 indoor hard-court event continues its tradition of presenting big names and the best in Belgian talent, too.
On Tuesday, tournament director Dick Norman and event organizers revealed the preliminary entry list for the European Open, which will take place inside Lotto Arena in Antwerp from October 13-20. Heading the entry list is World No. 12 Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece, who last year was a semifinalist and also teamed with his younger brother Petros to win the doubles title.
Other Top 30 talent includes: No. 21 Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada, who won the 2022 European Open title; No. 26 Sebastian Baez of Argentina, No. 29 Jordan Thompson of Australia and No. 30 Nuno Borges of Argentina.
🔥 OUR ENTRY LIST IS HERE 🔥
Go check out our website and don’t forget to secure your tickets 🎟️https://t.co/dhQE8s23PZ#europeanopen | #tennis | #Antwerp | #entrylist pic.twitter.com/wTNC2ycyyM
— European Open (@EuroTennisOpen) September 17, 2024
“We always aim for a good mix of young talent and experienced players, which has been the success of the European Open for years,” Norman said.
The remaining entry list includes: No. 34 Tomas Martin Etcheverry of Argentina, No. 36 Jiri Lehecka of the Czech Republic, No. 40 Mario Navone of Argentina, No. 45 Marcos Giron of the United States, No. 51 Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard of France, No. 55 Roberto Carballes Baena of Spain, No. 57 Arthur Rinderknech of France, No. 60 Facundo Diaz Acosta of Argentina, No. 62 Roberto Bautista Agut of Spain, No. 66 Jakub Mensik of the Czech Republic, No. 67 Juncheng Shang of China, No. 68 Botic van de Zandschulp of the Netherlands, and No. 73 Zizou Bergs of Belgium.
“Once again, we’ve managed to bring some of the world’s top players to Antwerp,” Norman said. “With Stefanos Tsitsipas and Felix Auger-Aliassime, we’re highlighting both the present and future of tennis. Adding Zizou Bergs to this lineup makes us even more proud. Zizou has become a true star thanks to his performances and charisma.”
Welcome back Champ 🔥@felixtennis will shine again in Antwerp ⭐️#europeanopen | #tennis | #augeraliassime | #antwerp pic.twitter.com/KEYcLChQSG
— European Open (@EuroTennisOpen) September 10, 2024
Ilse Van Parys, European Open event director, added: “Tsitsipas is a real crowd favorite, which we can see from ticket sales.” Tsitsipas, who is expected to be the No. 1 seed, will be featured in the Thursday, Oct. 17 night session, while Bergs will play his first match on Tuesday evening, Oct. 15.
Wild cards have also been awarded to two promising Belgian players, Raphaël Collignon, ranked 199th, and Alexander Blockx, ranked 262nd. Both made their Davis Cup debut last week for Belgium. An additional wild card has been given to 2016 champion Richard Gasquet of France, ranked 122nd, for his farewell tour.
Wildcards incoming 💥
Welcome Raphaël Collignon, Alexander Blockx and Richard Gasquet ⭐️#europeanopen | #tennis | #Antwerp | #wildcard pic.twitter.com/t2x3HjOIjH
— European Open (@EuroTennisOpen) September 17, 2024
Doubles specialists Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen of Belgium are also expected to compete.
However, No. 64 David Goffin, the highest-ranked Belgian player in the current PIF ATP Rankings, will be a no-show in Antwerp this year. He’s entered to play in the ATP 250 event in Stockholm, Sweden the same week.
