Jannik
Sinner defeated
Botic van de Zandschulp 6-3, 6-3, successfully marking his
return at the ATP 500
Rotterdam Open after winning the Australian Open.
The top
seed appeared in his first match as a Grand Slam champion following his success
in Melbourne. Similar to their encounter at the Australian Open, Sinner faced
Van de Zandschulp (No. 66) again. The Dutch player hadn't competed since his
first-round loss at the Australian Open against Sinner, and fate brought them
together once more.
In the
first set, Van de Zandschulp was the first to face some break points in the
third game, but Sinner couldn't capitalize on them. Demonstrating a strong
service game, the Italian maintained parity and secured the crucial break in
the fifth game to take the lead in the set.
Sinner
controlled the match from his service and only conceded three points on his
serve throughout the set. With a 5-3 advantage, he seized the tense moment of
his opponent to secure the second break and take the set 6-3.
The start
of the second set saw the first challenges for Sinner, who faced three
consecutive break points and trailed 0-40 in the first game, the first break
points his opponent had. The World No. 4 managed to escape the situation,
utilizing an impeccable first serve to prevent the Dutch player from taking the
lead.
In the
following game, the narrative changed when Sinner seized his first break
opportunity to gain a 3-0 lead in a matter of minutes. Without significant
changes, they reached 5-2, where Van de Zandschulp needed to hold his serve to
stay in the match. He saved two match points against him to bring the score to
5-3.
Nevertheless,
it wasn't enough, as Sinner held firm with his serve, ultimately closing out
the match 6-3, 6-3. The Italian will face the veteran Frenchman Gael Monfils in
the round of 16, who overcame a tough encounter against Denis Shapovalov in the
first round (7-6, 7-6).
