Marcos Damm enters the Hertogenbosch grass-court tournament ranked 116th on the ATP, representing the USA. The American has shown inconsistent form recently, with one win against M. Basing balanced against four losses in his last five matches, including straight-set defeats to T. Samuel and J. M. Cerundolo. Damm will be looking to capitalize on his ranking advantage against a lower-ranked opponent on grass, a surface that often rewards serve-based games.

Marko Houkes of the Netherlands comes into Hertogenbosch ranked 236th and faces a significant step up in competition against Damm. The Dutch player has struggled in recent outings, with just one win in his last five matches—a victory over K. Uchida—while dropping four matches including three straight-set losses. Houkes will need to improve his consistency sharply to trouble the higher-ranked American on this grass surface.