There are a number of familiar faces set to feature at the Brussels Open, which is due to start on Monday.
The ATP 250 tournament, previously held in Antwerp, will be contested by the likes of Lorenzo Musetti, Felix Auger-Aliassime and young Brazilian star Joao Fonseca.
Musetti will be hoping to win his first title since 2022 and just his third overall. The Italian recently lost an emotional contest to Alejandro Tabilo in the Chengdu Open final.
For all the big stars present in the draw, one notable name will be missing.
This player, who is the defending champion, has withdrawn from the event at the very last moment.
Roberto Bautista Agut has withdrawn from the Brussels Open
Former world number nine Roberto Bautista Agut has withdrawn from the Brussels Open the day before he was due to contest his first round match.
The Spaniard, aged 37 years, was due to play sixth seed Sebastien Baez on Tuesday.
Bautista Agut’s spot will now be taken by a qualifier or a lucky loser.
The 37-year-old is the defending champion. In 2024, an unseeded Bautista Agut defeated sixth seed Tomas Etcheverry and third seed Felix Auger-Aliassime on his way to the final.
In the final, he defeated fifth seed Jiri Lehecka, 7-5, 6-1.
The Spaniard’s last match came at the US Open, where he lost to British star Jacob Fearnley in the first round. The reason for his withdrawal from Brussels is currently unknown.
Bautista Agut’s 12 ATP Tour titles
Roberto Bautista Agut is currently in the midst of his 20th year on the ATP Tour, after turning professional in 2005.
The Spaniard would have to wait nine years before his first ATP title, which he won at the 2014 ‘s-Hertogenbosch Open. Another title would follow soon after, at the Stuttgart Open.
He won a further seven titles between 2016 and 2019, before a three-year drought.
In 2022, the Spaniard ended that drought by winning the Doha Open for a second time. He also won the Austrian clay-court tournament in Kitzbuhel later that same year.
| Year | Tournament |
| 2014 | ‘s-Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands |
| 2014 | Stuttgart, Germany |
| 2016 | Auckland, New Zealand |
| 2016 | Sofia, Bulgaria |
| 2017 | Chennai, India |
| 2017 | Winston-Salem, USA |
| 2018 | Auckland |
| 2018 | Dubai, United Arab Emirates |
| 2019 | Doha, Qatar |
| 2022 | Doha, Qatar |
| 2022 | Kitzbuhel |
| 2024 | Antwerp [Brussels] |
His 12th title was captured in 2024 at the Antwerp Open [now the Brussels Open.]
