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.