Rotterdam 2021: Andy Murray vs Robin Haase preview, head-to-head & prediction | ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament

Match details

Fixture: Andy Murray vs Robin Haase

Date: 1 March 2021

Tournament: ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament 2021

Round: First round (Round of 32)

Venue: Rotterdam, The Netherlands

Category: ATP 500

Surface: Indoor hardcourt

Prize money: €980,580

Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | India - Sony

Andy Murray vs Robin Haase preview

Former champion Andy Murray will begin his 2021 Rotterdam Open campaign on Monday against World No. 189 Robin Haase.

After making the final of the Challenger 1 event in Biella, Murray was forced to withdraw from the Biella 2 event owing to COVID-19 after-effects. The Brit then took the court in Montpellier, facing Egor Gerasimov in the first round.

Murray showed glimpses of his vintage form in the first set, earning himself a set-point at the end of 71 grueling minutes. But the former Wimbledon champion couldn't convert, and then shockingly capitulated in the second set to ultimately lose 7-6(8), 6-1.

Murray has now made his way to the Dutch city, hoping to improve on his Montpellier showing. Considering that he is a wild-card entrant, Murray is fortunate to not have been pitted against Daniil Medvedev, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Andrey Rublev or Alexander Zverev.

Instead, the 2009 Rotterdam champion has been drawn against fellow wild-card entrant Robin Haase in the opening round. Haas is a seasoned campaigner on the ATP tour, and comes into this 500-level event with a decent amount of match practice under his belt.

Robin Haase

The Dutchman won two qualifying rounds at the Australian Open and entered the main draw as a lucky loser. There, he provided a stern test to Filip Krajinovic before going down in four hard-fought sets.

Before the year’s first Slam, Haase had taken part in the Melbourne 1 event - where he lost in the second round to Pablo Cuevas.

Andy Murray vs Robin Haase head-to-head

Andy Murray and Robin Haase have had a healthy rivalry over the years, with the Brit leading 4-1 in the head-to-head. Interestingly, Haase’s only victory over Murray came at the Rotterdam Open - way back in 2008.

The two were also part of a titanic five-setter at the 2011 US Open, where the Brit came from two sets down to stage a remarkable victory.

That said, Murray and Haase haven’t faced each other since 2015, where they locked horns at Wimbledon. The Brit won that match in straight sets.

Andy Murray vs Robin Haase prediction

There isn’t much to separate Andy Murray and Robin Haase on form, with both players lacking big wins on the ATP tour lately. But stylistically this matchup favors Murray, given that Haase is not amongst the biggest strikers of the ball.

The Dutchman employs a lot of sliced backhands and loopy forehands, even on hardcourts. And Murray has been a master at outsmarting such opponents throughout his career.

Haase does have a big serve, and he also boasts of deft hands near the net. But Murray is still a good returner, and should be able to test Haase’s service games frequently.

Prediction: Andy Murray to win in straight sets.