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Fixture: (1) Jannik Sinner vs Botic van de Zandschulp
Date: February 12, 2024
Tournament: ABN AMRO Open 2024
Round: First Round (Round of 32)
Venue: Rotterdam Ahoy, Netherlands
Category: ATP 500
Surface: Hardcourt
Prize Money: €2,134,985
Live telecast: USA- Tennis Channel, UK- Amazon Prime Video
Jannik Sinner vs Botic van de Zandschulp preview
Top seed Jannik Sinner opens his bid for a maiden Rotterdam title against Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp.
World No. 4 Sinner is off to a perfect 7-0 start to the season, making his Grand Slam breakthrough at the Australian Open last month. After not dropping a set in five matches, the Italian took out 10-time champion Novak Djokovic in four sets.
Sinner then recovered from two sets down to beat Daniil Medvedev to become the first Italian man to reign supreme at Melbourne Park. Since losing in the fourth round in Shanghai, the 22-year-old has won 20 of his last 21 matches, with his only loss coming to Djokovic in the ATP Finals final in Turin.
The Italian is 5-2 in Rotterdam, making the final last year, losing in three sets to Medvedev.
Meanwhile, the 63rd-ranked Zandschulp is 3-4 in 2024. After winning a match apiece in Hong Kong and Auckland, the 28-year-old lost in the first round of the Australian Open. However, Zandschulp won his last match, a Davis Cup outing against Switzerland's Marc-Andrea Huesler.
The Dutchman had a modest 23-25 season in 2023, losing to Holger Rune in the Munich final. He also reached the quarterfinals in Dubai and the semifinals in Pune at the start of the year.
Zandschulp lost in the second round in Rotterdam last year to eventual champion Medvedev. He has a 2-3 record at the ATP 500 tournament, having also reached the second round in 2022.
Jannik Sinner vs Botic van de Zandschulp head-to-head
Sinner won his last meeting with Zandschulp in the first round of his victorious Australian Open campaign last month in straight sets. This will be their second clash on hardcourt, first on indoor hard.
Jannik Sinner vs Botic van de Zandschulp odds
All odds sourced from BETMGM.
Jannik Sinner vs Botic van de Zandschulp prediction
Both Sinner and Zandschulp look to win points from the back of the court and have similar game styles: big serve, powerful hitting off either flank and good movement.
Sinner, though, takes the edge with his elite athleticism, metronomic accuracy and superior experience and consistency. The Italian is riding a purple patch since 2023 and is one of the most in-form players on tour.
He impressively beat Djokovic - one of the sport's best-ever returners - at the Australian Open without conceding a break point and should be more than a handful for Zandschulp. Having beaten the Dutchman convincingly in Melbourne last month, expect the Italian to win again.
Pick: Sinner in straight sets.
