The greatest tennis player of all time overcame Botic van de Zandschulp 6:3, 6:4, 7:6 (7-4) after a grueling and emotional match, marking his 400th Grand Slam win and 18th advancement to the Round of 16 at the Australian Open.
Djokovic reached the third round with routine victories by identical scores over Pedro Martinez and Frances Tiafoe (6:3, 6:2, 6:2), in which he did not come close to losing a set. His achievements in Melbourne speak for themselves – he is the most successful player in history with 10 titles from as many finals.
His opponent caused a surprise at the start of the tournament when he defeated 27th seed Brandon Nakashima in four sets – 6:3, 4:6, 7:6 (7-1), 7:6 (7-3). He capitalized on that momentum with a maximum triumph over Juncheng Sheng, equaling his best Australian Open result, which he also achieved in 2022.
In their head-to-head meetings, the score is even. Djokovic won their first encounter on his way to the Astana title in 2022 with a dominant 6:3, 6:1. At Indian Wells last year, the Dutch player took revenge – 6:2, 3:6, 6:1.
Van de Zandschulp currently ranks 75th on the ATP list. He achieved his career-high ranking in August 2022 when he reached No. 22. His deepest run at a Grand Slam was at the 2021 US Open, where Daniil Medvedev stopped him in the quarterfinals. Three years later, he caused a shocking upset by defeating Carlos Alcaraz in New York in straight sets – 6:1, 7:5, 6:4.
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Source: Sportklub, Foto: djokernole/instagram