Number 7 seed Joao Fonseca will kick off his ATP 250 Brussels campaign on Tuesday with a first round match against Botic van de Zandschulp. Fifth seed Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard will face Emil Ruusuvuori.
(7) Joao Fonseca vs. Botic from the Zandschulp
Fonseca and Van de Zandschulp will face each other for the second time in their careers when they meet again on Tuesday in the first round of the European Open. Their only previous meeting also took place on indoor hard courts, with Fonseca prevailing 6-4, 7-6(3) in the 2024 Davis Cup competition.
It was a solid first full season on tour for the 19-year-old Brazilian, although it fell short of the expectations set after the Australian Open. For Van de Zandschulp, 2025 was much worse. The 30-year-old Dutchman is 14-18 this season and is ranked number 86 in the world. Van de Zandschulp is generally an effective indoor hard court player, but Fonseca has much more all-round talent. He also has more self-confidence, faith and inspiration. This match will take place on the youngster’s racket.
Choice: Fonseca in 3
(PR) Emil Ruusuvuori vs. (5) Giovanni Mpshi Perricard
This is probably Mpetshi Perricard’s favorite time of year. The surfaces are fast (relatively speaking) and there are no outside conditions to ruin his service. Mpetshi Perricard won the biggest title of his career twelve months ago at the ATP 500 in Basel, where he defeated Felix Auger-Aliassime, Holger Rune and Ben Shelton. The world number 37 hasn’t been great this season, but he has some momentum after reaching the fourth round at the Shanghai Masters.
Leading the way for Mpetshi Perricard is Ruusuvori, who is trailing the head-to-head series 2-0 after losing in four sets at Wimbledon last summer and in two tiebreaks a few weeks later in Washington, DC. Ruusuvori has played sparingly in 2025 due to mental health reasons. The 26-year-old Finn is therefore at number 608 in the rankings and he has not beaten anyone better than 128th in the rankings. more than 14 months. For Mpetshi Perricard, this should be a one-way street.
Choice: Mpetshi Perricard in 2
#Brussels #picks #Fonseca #Van #Zandschulp #Mpetshi #Perricard #Ruusuvuori