Great Ocean Road Open 2021: Reilly Opelka vs Botic Van de Zandschulp preview, head-to-head & prediction

Match details

Fixture: Reilly Opelka vs Botic Van de Zandschulp

Date: 4 February 2021

Tournament: Great Ocean Road Open 2021

Round: Third round (Round of 16)

Venue: Melbourne, Australia

Category: ATP 250

Surface: Outdoor hardcourt

Prize money: $382,575

Match timing: Approx. 5 pm local time, 11.30 am IST

Live telecast: USA - ESPN / Tennis Channel

Reilly Opelka vs Botic Van de Zandschulp preview

Sixth-seeded American Reilly Opelka will take on the in-form Botic Van de Zandschulp in the third round of the Great Ocean Road Open (Melbourne 1) on Thursday.

Opelka overcame the challenge of Sergiy Stakhovsky on Wednesday, getting the job done in two tightly-contested sets - 7-6(8), 6-4. As expected, the American was supremely dominant on his serve, racking up jaw-dropping numbers on both his first and second serve.

Opelka won 86% of his first serve points, but more impressively 88% on his second serve. A total of 17 aces also helped the 23-year-old's cause against Stakhovsky, who himself boasts of a strong delivery.

Reilly Opelka conceded a mere nine points on his serve and didn't face a single break point. That's a statistic that will fill him with confidence ahead of the business end of the tournament.

Botic Van de Zandschulp meanwhile is in the middle of a purple patch himself. The Dutchman has won all of his five matches so far this year, including three in the Australian Open qualifiers - one of which was against the talented Lorenzo Musetti.

Botic Van de Zandschulp

The 25-year-old has made the main draw of a Slam for the first time in his career. That has visibly given him a great deal of confidence, as can be seen in his displays at the Great Ocean Road Open so far.

In his first round match, the 159-ranked Van de Zandschulp defeated Tristan Schoolkate in straight sets. The Dutchman followed that up with an even more convincing performance against the higher-ranked Kamil Majchrzak (World No. 109).

His victory against Majchrzak means Van de Zandschulp has won back-to-back ATP tour matches for the first time in his career. The 25-year-old has never defeated a top 100 player, but he has famously gotten the better of Andrey Rublev once - he beat the then 112th-ranked Russian in the qualifying rounds of the Rotterdam Open in 2017.

Reilly Opelka vs Botic Van de Zandschulp head-to-head

Reilly Opelka and Botic Van de Zandschulp have never faced each other on tour before, and so their head-to-head stands at 0-0.

Reilly Opelka vs Botic Van de Zandschulp prediction

Reilly Opelka

Botic Van de Zandschulp doesn’t have a wealth of experience at the top level, and that could potentially be a factor when he takes on Reilly Opelka. The Dutchman had faced a top 20 player only once before, losing to Stan Wawrinka at the Prague Challenger last year.

Unlike Opelka, Van de Zandschulp doesn't have any standout weapon. The Dutchman is not amongst the most powerful strikers of the ball, but he can generate a decent amount of depth on his forehand.

The big-serving Opelka will look to ensure that his delivery is up to the mark. But perhaps more importantly, he would have to execute his passing shots well, as Van de Zandschulp is quite good in the forecourt area.

Prediction: Reilly Opelka to win in three sets.