Jannik Sinner won his opening match as a Grand Slam champion as the Italian defeated Botic Van De Zandschulp 6-3 6-3 in Rotterdam.
The Australian Open champion cruised past the Dutchman in straight sets to seal a place in the second round in Rotterdam.
It was his first match since glory in Melbourne and Sinner made light work of the occasion to seal a place in the second round.
There is more history on the line for Sinner this week as a title in the Netherlands will see him become the new world number three, which would be a new record for an Italian in the Open Era.
Speaking after the match Sinner acknowledged that it will be hard work playing as a Grand Slam champion but is ready for the occasion of playing under pressure, “I’ve been working a lot in Monaco but I wanted to come here and feel the court,” Sinner told the ATP website.
“I’m happy to get my first win here over a really great player. It’s a little bit different [playing as a Grand Slam champion] and you have to be prepared for your opponents to know you better and know your weaknesses more, so you have to be prepared to work hard and be ready.”
Next for Sinner is Gael Monfils, who is on an eleven match winning streak at the tournament.
The Italian is expecting a tough match against the charismatic Frenchman, “Gael is a very dangerous opponent. It doesn’t matter where you play him,” Sinner explained to the ATP website.
“It’s always a really tough match when we play. I saw some of his first-round match and he played really, really well.”
Currently Sinner leads the head-to-head 4-1 heading into the second round meeting.
