MELBOURNE, Jan 14, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - Fourth seed Jannik Sinner fired up his
bid for a maiden Grand Slam title with a hard-fought straight-sets victory
over Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp at the Australian Open on Sunday.

The 22-year-old Italian enjoyed a breakthrough 2023, winning his first
Masters title, in Toronto, and making the championship match against Novak
Djokovic at the ATP Finals.

It sparked expectations that it is only a matter of time before he wins a
major and he came through a tough encounter at Melbourne Park to open his
2024 account, beating the 59th-ranked Dutchman 6-4, 7-5, 6-3 on Rod Laver
Arena.

"My first match of the season and it means a lot to start off with a win,"
said Sinner, who reached his first Slam semi-final at Wimbledon last year.

"The tournament is one where I would like to play as good as possible and
hopefully I can show some more in the next round.

"Physically I feel good in good shape, the first round is never easy so I can
be happy with today."

It was Sinner's first competitive match of the year after he opted against a
warm-up tournament but he showed few signs of rust, breaking Van de
Zandschulp's opening service game and powering through the first set in 46
minutes.

But the Dutchman, a former US Open quarter-finalist, refused to go quietly,
hitting the ball so hard in the second set that his racquet strings snapped.

There was little between them as they battled to 5-5 before Van de Zandschulp
netted a backhand to give the Italian the crucial break and he served out for
a two-set lead.

Once again, the Dutchman put up resistance in the third, breaking for a 2-0
advantage.

But it was a temporary wobble by Sinner, who responded by breaking twice in
succession and surged 4-2 clear and there was no way back.

At a career-high four in the world, Sinner also won titles last year in
Montpellier, Vienna and Beijing, and was instrumental in helping Italy win
the Davis Cup.