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Match Details
Fixture: (5) Rafael Nadal vs (26) Botic van de Zandschulp.
Tournament: French Open 2022.
Date: 27 May 2022.
Round: Third round (Round of 32).
Venue: Paris, France.
Category: Grand Slam.
Surface: Outdoor Clay.
Prize money: €21,256,800.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel, NBC Sports and Peacock TV | Canada - TSN | UK - Eurosport | India - Sony Ten.
Rafael Nadal vs Botic van de Zandschulp preview
Fifth seed Rafael Nadal will take on 26th seed Botic van de Zandschulp in the third round of the 2022 French Open on Friday.
After winning against Jordan Thompson quite easily in the first round, the 13-time champion played another great match to move past home favourite Corentin Moutet. After a comfortable service hold to start the match, the Spaniard broke his opponent's serve to gain an early lead, which was enough for him to claim the opener.
Nadal continued his dominance in the second set, going up a double break to lead 4-0 and breaking Moutet once again to win the set. The Frenchman put up a fight in the third set, going 2-0 up. However, 'The King of Clay' responded with two breaks to lead 5-3.
There was a twist in the tale, though, as Moutet broke Nadal while serving for the match. However, the Spaniard immediately hit back to win 6-3, 6-1, 6-4 for his 300th win in Grand Slams and 107th at Roland Garros.
Meanwhile, Botic van de Zanschulp commenced his French Open campaign with a four-set win over qualifier Pavel Kotov before taking out veteran Fabio Fognini in the second round.
The Italian broke to lead 4-3, but van de Zandschulp won the next three games to bag the set. The Dutchman trailed 5-1 in the second set, but won five games in a row before Fognini forced a tie-break, where van de Zandschulp prevailed. The 26-year-old broke to take a 3-2 lead in the third before Fognini retired.
Rafael Nadal vs Botic van de Zandschulp head-to-head
This will be the first meeting between the pair, so their head-to-head stands at 0-0.
Rafael Nadal vs Botic van de Zandschulp odds
All odds are sourced from BetMGM.
Rafael Nadal vs Botic van de Zandschulp prediction
With just 14 games dropped across two matches, Nadal seems to be in good form. His intensity dropped a bit in the third set against Moutet, but he regrouped quickly. The Spaniard's backhand seemed much better than in his first-round match, but his serve, while decent, could do with some improvement.
Nadal hit a solitary ace and sent down two double faults, winning 72% and 56% of his first and second serve points respectively. Against better returners, he might face more trouble.
Van de Zandschulp did well to come back after trailing in the first two sets against Fognini. He'll need to display a similar mental fortitude against Nadal. His forehand is solid, but it doesn't have the same intensity as the Spaniard's. He also has a reliable serve, which will no doubt come in handy.
All things considered, Nadal should have more than enough in his arsenal to down the Dutchman and advance to the fourth round.
Pick: Rafael Nadal to win in straight sets.
Also Check Out :- French Open 2022 Results
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