Winning start to the season for Jannik Sinner. At the debut of the Australian Open the Italian – seeded number 4 – beat the Dutch Botic van de Zandschulp after just over two and a half hours of play: 6-4, 7-5, 6-3 the result the final.
Medvedev attempts castling
Sinner’s boarding
Tsitsipas tra amore e promesse
Sinner, who closed 2023 on a high by playing the final of the ATP Finals, before leading Italy to triumph in the Davis Cup, was initially off the pace perhaps due to not having played any official match in the period preceding the first Major of the year . Then in the first set Sinner won a break in the opening game on Rod Laver Arena and fought to hold serve in the next game, before increasing the pressure on his opponent with several winning points that allowed him to win the first set . In the following set Van de Zandschulp, world number 59, raised the level of his game, before Sinner managed to place the decisive break at 5-5, which allowed him to close the second set 7-5. The blue started badly in the third set, first wasting four break points, and then also surrendering serve in the second game. From then on, however, he recovered with a series of winning forehands, but above all responding excellently to close the match and land in the second round where he will meet him or Jesper de Jong or Pedro Cachin.
«It was my first match of the season and it means a lot to start with a victory» commented the Italian at the end of the match. «It is a tournament in which I would like to play as best as possible and I hope to be able to show more in the next round – Sinner underlined again -. Physically I feel good, in good shape, the first round is never easy so I can be happy for today.”
Victory also for Arnaldi
Debut with victory also for the other Italian involved in the night, Matteo Arnaldi who overcame the Australian Adam Walton with the result of 7-6, 6-2, 6-4.