Tennis - Australian Open - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 14, 2024 Italy's Jannik Sinner celebrates after winning his first round match against Netherlands' Botic Van De Zandschulp REUTERS/Issei Kato
MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Fourth 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.
A Melbourne Park quarter-finalist in 2022, Sinner grabbed a break in the opening game on Rod Laver Arena and battled to hold in the next before cranking up the pressure with searing winners on both flanks to take the first set.
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.
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Melbourne; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
