Zizou Bergs exited the BNP Paribas Fortis European Open in Brussels after a straight-sets defeat to Germany’s Jan-Lennard Struff in the quarterfinals, falling 6-3, 7-6 (8-6) on Friday. With the loss of the sixth-seeded Belgian, the tournament’s last remaining home hope was eliminated following earlier exits and withdrawals across the local contingent.
Struff Defeats Bergs in Straight Sets
The match pitted the 58th-ranked Struff against the 41-ranked Bergs in Brussels. The 1.93-meter German leaned heavily on his first serve throughout the encounter, neutralizing Bergs’s baseline pressure during key moments. In the opening set, Bergs failed to convert three break points before Struff capitalized at 4-3, breaking the Belgian’s serve and holding on to secure the set 6-3, as reported by Sporza.
The second set proved tighter, with both players holding serve to force a tiebreak. Bergs erased a 3-0 deficit and saved two match points before Struff converted his third chance to seal the tiebreak 8-6.
Bergs Misses Break Points as Struff Advances
Bergs pointed to missed break opportunities as the turning point after the match. “I had five break points and he has served them away super five times. If you play so well on the important points, then you can’t do anything other than say bravo,” Bergs told Sporza. The Belgian noted that he created opportunities throughout the match but failed to convert them when the score narrowed.
Struff advances to the semifinals, where he will face top-seeded Frenchman Arthur Fils, who defeated American Alex Michelsen 6-4, 7-6 (14/12). Fils reached the final four after Michelsen had previously eliminated David Goffin earlier in the tournament.
Struff Faces Arthur Fils in Semifinals
Jan-Lennard Struff advances to face Arthur Fils in the European Open semifinals. The tournament continues through the weekend in Brussels, featuring remaining matches on the indoor hard court surface.
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