Australian Open 2024: Jannik Sinner vs Botic van de Zandschulp preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick

Match Details

Fixture: (4) Jannik Sinner vs Botic van de Zandschulp

Date: Sunday, January 14, 2024

Tournament: Australian Open 2024

Round: First Round (Round of 128)

Venue: Melbourne Park, Melbourne

Category: Grand Slam

Surface: Outdoor hard

Prize money: $39,264,000

Live telecast: USA - ESPN, Tennis Channel | Australia - Nine Network, Stan Sport | India and Indian Subcontinent - Sony Sports Network

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Jannik Sinner vs Botic van de Zandschulp

Sinner opens his campaign on Sunday.

Fourth seed Jannik Sinner opens his Australian Open campaign against unseeded Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp.

Sinner, ranked fourth in the world, is yet to make his season debut, having won the Davis Cup with Italy at the fag end of last season. He beat World No. 1 Novak Djokovic twice as he ended 2023 with seven wins in eight matches.

The 22-year-old Italian is coming off a career-best season, reaching his first Grand Slam semifinal at Wimbledon and a maiden ATP Finals final, losing to Djokovic both times. He also won his maiden Masters 1000 title at the Canada Open.

The Italian made the second week at the Australian Open last year, losing to eventual finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas in five sets.

Meanwhile, the 59th-ranked Zandschulp is 2-2 on the season after second-round exits in Hong Kong and Auckland. He fell in the second round at three of the four Grand Slams last year, losing in the opening round at Roland Garros.

The 28-year-old had a modest season, reaching the Munich final, losing to Holger Rune in a third-set tiebreak. Zandschulp has never gone beyond the third round at the Australian Open, which he reached two years ago.

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Jannik Sinner vs Botic van de Zandschulp head-to-head

This will be the pair's first tour-level meeting, so their head-to-head record stands at 0-0.

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Jannik Sinner vs Botic van de Zandschulp odds

Player	Moneyline	Handicap Bets	Total Games (over/under)
Jannik Sinner
Botic van de Zandschulp

The odds will be updated when they are released.

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Jannik Sinner vs Botic van de Zandschulp prediction

Zandschulp made the second round in Melbourne last year.

Both Sinner and Zandschulp tend to play their best tennis on hardcourt, where their strong serve, powerful hitting off either flank and good movement stand them in good stead.

Sinner, though, takes the edge because of his superior consistency and pedigree, if not experience. The Italian is coming off a fabulous 2023 season with many career highs. He will look to fare even better this year and make his Grand Slam breakthrough.

Ending the previous year at a career-high ranking of World No. 4, Sinner will fancy his chances of getting his 2024 campaign off to a winning start.

Pick: Sinner in straight sets