The European Open in Antwerp is always an exciting part of the ATP Tour's indoor season, and the draw for this year's iteration has been released.
Running from October 14th to 20th, the 2024 European Open could be the best edition of the tournament to date due to the presence of several impressive players who have signed up for the tournament in Antwerp.
Richard Gasquet, who announced he will retire at next year's French Open, won the first iteration of the tournament in 2016. In the final, he overcame Diego Schwartzman, who will also retire next year, 7-6, 6-1.
Jannik Sinner, Andy Murray, and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga are others who have won the title in Belgium. Their achievements show how impressive the entry lists have been in the past.
That means the 2024 European Open has a lot to live up to, but judging by the ATP 250 tournament's unveiled draw, it should be a terrific event this year.
Alex de Minaur is the tournament's No. 1 seed. The Australian has not played a match since last month's US Open due to an injury. However, he seems set to return after missing the events in Asia.
De Minaur receives a bye in the opening round as one of the Top 4 seeds at the European Open. He will face Roberto Carballes Baena or Dominik Koepfer in the round of 16, both opponents the 25-year-old is likely to be happy with in his first tournament back.
The Australian's quarter as a whole is one he will probably be pleased with, but surprising results are always possible. Mariano Navone and Hugo Gaston are potential opponents for him in the quarterfinal.
Felix Auger-Aliassime, who has won all five of his ATP Tour titles to date at indoor tournaments, receives the bye in the other quarter in the top half. The Canadian will play Marton Fucsovics or Raphael Collignon in his opening match.
Former champion Gasquet has a challenging first-round contest against Tomas Martin Etcheverry in that quarter of the draw. Gasquet will hope to find some of the form that led to his becoming the third-oldest Challenger Tour champion ever last month.
Stefanos Tsitsipas is the highest-ranked seed in the bottom half of the draw. However, the Greek No. 1 may not be as happy with his quarter. The huge-serving Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard will face Tsitsipas if he overcomes a qualifier in the opening round.
Jiri Lehecka, the No. 5 seed at the 2024 European Open, is the most likely opponent for Tsitsipas in the quarterfinal. The Czech is a very dangerous opponent, making Tsitsipas' quarter even more difficult.
Marcos Giron and Sebastian Baez are the top seeds in the other quarter of the bottom half. That section looks very open, presenting an excellent opportunity for one of those players to make a good run in Belgium.
The European indoor hardcourt season is often an underrated part of the calendar. Fans will undoubtedly witness much terrific tennis at the 2024 European Open.
| Player 1 | Player 2 |
|---|---|
| Alex De Minaur [1] | BYE |
| Dominik Koepfer | Roberto Carballes Baena |
| Qualifier | Hugo Gaston |
| Thiago Monteiro | Mariano Navone [7] |
| Felix Auger-Aliassime [3] | BYE |
| Raphael Collignon | Marton Fucsovics |
| Roberto Bautista Agut | Qualifier |
| Richard Gasquet | Tomas Martin Etcheverry [6] |
| Marcos Giron [8] | Botic van de Zandschulp |
| Arthur Rinderknech | Alexander Blockx |
| Facundo Diaz Acosta | Zizou Bergs |
| BYE | Sebastian Baez [4] |
| Jiri Lehecka [5] | Jaume Munar |
| Qualifier | Daniel Altmaier |
| Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard | Qualifier |
| BYE | Stefanos Tsitsipas [2] |