Medvedev vs. Mannarino, Humbert vs. Evans

On the heels of opening-round byes, top two seeds Daniil Medvedev and Ugo Humbert will take the court for the first time in ‘s-Hertogenbosch on Thursday. Medvedev meets Adrian Mannarino; Humbert battles Dan Evans.

(1) Daniil Medvedev vs. (LL) Adrian Mannarino

An extensive head-to-head rivalry on grass–and specifically at this tournament–will add another chapter when Medvedev and Mannarino square off yet again at the Libema Open on Thursday. They have split their eight previous overall encounters at four wins apiece, with Mannarino leading 3-2 on grass and 2-1 in ‘s-Hertogenbosch. The French left-hander prevailed at this event in 2016 and 2023, while Medvedev got the job done in 2022. They have faced each other twice at Wimbledon, where Mannarino survived a five-set thriller in 2018 and Medvedev cruised in straight sets two years ago.

Even though Mannarino has plunged to No. 127 in the world, he can never be discounted on his favorite surface. The 36-year-old needed a lucky-loser spot in the main draw this week, but he made the most of it by beating Christopher O’Connell 6-1, 6-3 on Wednesday. This is Medvedev’s first grass-court match of the summer as he looks to emerge from a slump that has him down at 11th in the rankings. It may take some time before the top-seeded Russian finds his footing on the lawn, but he should be able to get past an opponent who is also lacking confidence.

Pick: Medvedev in 3

(Q) Dan Evans vs. (2) Ugo Humbert

This is another matchup between two guys who absolutely love grass. Unlike Medvedev and Mannarino, however, Humbert and Evans are not overly familiar with each other. They have gone head-to-head only twice–not once since 2020–and split a pair of indoor hard-court showdowns in ’19 (Evans prevailed at the Quimper Challenger) and ’20 (Humbert won in the Antwerp semifinals).

Plagued by injuries, Evans had not won a single tour-level match before defeating Rinky Hijikata 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 on Wednesday. Humber has been dealing with physical problems of his own and he has never been effective on clay, so it’s no surprise that he also heads into the grass-court swing in a massive slump. Still, grass should be just what the doctor ordered for the world No. 20; not even the surface may be able to save Evans right now.

Pick: Humbert in 3