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The fourth day of singles action at the Libema Open in 's-Hertogenbosch, on Thursday, will feature four men's and women's Round of 16 matches apiece at the ATP/WTA 250 grasscourt event.
On Wednesday, the likes of Ashlyn Krueger, Veronika Kudermetova, Jannik Sinner, and Mackenzie McDonald emerged victorious, respectively beating third seed Victoria Azarenka, Carol Zhao, third seed Borna Coric, and Alexander Bublik.
Without further ado, here's a look at how the following four second-round matches at 's-Hertogenbosch on Thursday could pan out:
#1 Tallon Griekspoor vs Alexei Popyrin
Sixth seed Tallon Griekspoor takes on Australia's Alexei Popyrin for a place in the 's-Hertogenbosch quarterfinals.
World No. 38 Griekspoor opened his campaign at the grasscourt event with a three-set win over Mikael Ymer to improve to 17-10 on the season and 2-2 at 's-Hertogenbosch. Meanwhile, the 90th-ranked Popyrin beat wildcard Arthur Rindeknech in straight sets to 13-12 in 2023 on his tournament debut.
The two players have split their two previous meetings, but expect the higher-ranked Griekspoor to take the win.
Pick: Griekspoor in three sets
#2 Alex de Minaur ('s-Hertogenbosch fourth seed) vs Laslo Djere
Fourth seed Alex de Minaur opens his 's-Hertogenbosch campaign against Serbia's Laslo Djere.
The 18th-ranked De Minaur is 18-11 on the season, coming off a second-round exit at Roland Garros. The Australian is 1-2 at 's-Hertogenbosch. Meanwhile, World No. 60 Djere opened his campaign with a straight-set win over Ricardas Berankis on his tournament debut to improve to 16-13 in 2023.
De Minaur has won the pair's both previous meetings - including their lone grasscourt clash at the Queen's Club in 2021 - and should prevail again.
Pick: De Minaur in three sets
#3 Bianca Andreescu vs Viktoria Hruncakova
Sixth seed Bianca Andreescu takes on Viktoria Hruncakova as a place in the Libema Open last eight beckons.
World No. 37 Andreescu opened her campaign at the tournament with a straight-set win over Zeynep Sonmez to improve to 12-10 on the season. Meanwhile, 102nd-ranked Hrunkacova is 3-2 in 2023 after beating Susan Bandecchi in straight sets.
This is a first-time tour-level meeting, but Andreescu did beat Hruncakova in the 2017 Wimbledon qualifying and should win again.
Pick: Andreescu in straight sets
#4 Caty McNally vs Celine Naef
Eighth seed Caty McNally takes on Switzerland's Celine Naef for a place in the Libema Open quarterfinals.
World No. 62 McNally took down compatriot Katie Volynets for the loss of just three games to improve to 8-7 on the season. Meanwhile, the 202nd-ranked Naef beat American legend Venus Williams to get off the mark on her season debut.
The two players haven't met before, but expect the higher-ranked McNally to prevail.
Pick: McNally in straight sets
