Australian Open: Jannik Sinner has eye on Novak Djokovic semi-final after first-round win

NEW DELHI: After a hard-fought opening-round victory against Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp on Sunday, 22-year-old Italian fourth seed Jannik Sinner openly expressed anticipation for a potential Australian Open semifinal against Novak Djokovic.


Sinner, who experienced a breakthrough year in 2023 by clinching his first Masters title in Toronto and reaching the championship match against Djokovic at the ATP Finals, has heightened expectations of securing a major title in the near future.

Initiating his 2024 campaign at Melbourne Park, he navigated through a challenging match against the 59th-ranked Dutchman, securing a 6-4, 7-5, 6-3 victory on Rod Laver Arena.

"Good for me to get out there, and obviously it was not easy. I won in straight sets, but it was not that easy," he said.

"He played well, he served well, but I managed somehow to get the breaks in important moments. I'm happy to be back on court to compete, and that's what I love to do. So it was a nice feeling."

It was Sinner's first competitive match of the year after he opted against playing a warm-up tournament, but he showed few signs of rust.

Should he keep the momentum going, 10-time champion Djokovic is a potential semi-final opponent.

"It's Sunday today, it's so long to go. But for sure you are aiming for these matches," he said of possibly meeting the Serbian superstar.

"I don't want to say much more about this at the moment because I feel that there is still a lot of work to do to get to this point. So yeah, let's see. Nobody can tell the future.

"As I said, obviously we aim to play big matches in big stadiums, so let's see."

Sinner broke Van de Zandschulp's opening service game and powered 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, lead that proved decisive.

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.

(With inputs from AFP)