Sinner beats Van de Zandschulp in Australian Open first round
The HinduFourth seed Jannik Sinner got off to a winning start in his bid to claim his first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open as the Italian defeated unseeded Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp 6-4 7-5 6-3 in the opening round on Sunday. Sinner, who enjoyed a strong finish to 2023 by reaching the ATP Finals title clash before guiding Italy to a Davis Cup triumph, was slightly off the pace after playing no competitive matches in the build-up to the year’s first major. World number 59 Van de Zandschulp went toe-to-toe with his opponent in the next set before Sinner sealed the decisive break for a 6-5 lead and comfortably doubled his advantage. Sinner squandered four break points and then surrendered his serve to trail 2-0 as his forehand wobbled slightly in the third set but he responded superbly to close out the match and book a second-round meeting with Jesper de Jong or Pedro Cachin.