Jannik Sinner, the reigning champion of the Australian Open, had a successful beginning in Rotterdam as he defeated Botic van de Zandschulp, a player from the host country. The match lasted for an hour and 26 minutes, with Sinner emerging victorious with a score of 6-3, 6-3. This marked his 11th consecutive win and he outperformed his opponent in both serving and returning, allowing him to advance to the second round.
Sinner displayed his skills with 19 impressive winners, although he also made 18 unforced errors. On the other hand, van de Zandschulp made 27 mistakes, which worked in Sinner’s favor. The Dutch player managed to stay competitive in terms of service winners and shorter rallies of up to four strokes.
However, van de Zandschulp missed out on three opportunities to break Sinner’s serve at the beginning of the second set. As a result, Sinner took advantage of this and secured three breaks, ultimately securing his victory.
In the first game of the match, van de Zandschulp held his serve with a forehand winner, despite facing a challenging service game in the following game. He successfully saved three break points with powerful shots, including an ace, avoiding an early setback. Sinner then won the fourth game with a forced error and followed it up with a break in the next game, thanks to a forehand down the line winner. This allowed him to take the lead.
Sinner continued to dominate, closing the sixth game without dropping a single point and solidifying his lead. In the eighth game, he fired a service winner, further asserting his control over the match. Van de Zandschulp made a forehand error on a game point in the ninth game, resulting in him losing his serve for the second time and handing the first set to Sinner with a score of 6-3.
At the start of the second set, Sinner made a mistake with a backhand shot, facing three break points. However, he managed to save them with two winners and a forced error, regaining his composure and momentum. In the second game, van de Zandschulp initially had a 40-15 lead, but Sinner fought back and secured a break when the Dutch player hit a long volley. Sinner continued to dominate, winning the third game with a service winner and holding at 30 in the following games, resulting in a 4-1 lead.
Both players served well during this phase of the match, but Sinner widened the gap to 5-2 with a backhand crosscourt winner. In the eighth game, van de Zandschulp served to stay in the match and faced two match points. However, he managed to save them and held his serve, keeping the match alive.
Nevertheless, Sinner landed a volley winner to take a 30-0 lead in the ninth game and sealed the victory with a powerful serve, earning himself three match points. The young talent capitalized on the first match point with a forehand crosscourt winner, securing the win and starting his campaign in Rotterdam on a high note.
According to the Source tennisworldusa.org