Van de Zandschulp sees Dutch tennis ‘going in the right direction’

“I think we are doing well for a country like the Netherlands. We are also used to times that are a little different than in the past, but I think we are going in the right direction,” said Van de Zandschul after his convincing victory over Germany. Jan – Leonard Struff (6-4 6-3 6-2).

“I think things are slowly getting better again. Here in Australia, someone like Jesper de Jong made it to the third round of qualifying, and Ariane Hartono made it to the main tournament in the Women’s Championship. Arantexa Ross has been in this tournament for a while now. Top 60 .”

Van de Zandschul, ranked 57th in the world, won a match at the Australian Open for the first time in his career. He easily got rid of the world number 52 and continued his good start to the season.

“I started a bit tougher and the first set was the hardest of the three. I had a bit of a hard time getting into it, but that’s also because he plays ‘fully’ and tries to keep the points short. But after I played the first set, said Van de Zandschulp, who saw His opponent is a few dropouts, “I ran through it smoothly and easily after one tough match. It also helps me a little bit now and then.”

“There was a strong wind and it was a bit cooler than it has been in recent days, so the conditions were a little different than what I’m used to here. But it can also vary by hour.”

For Van de Zandschulp, it was his first major tournament since last year’s US Open, surprisingly reaching the quarter-finals. In New York, he was accompanied by Michael Shappers, who works for KNLTB. Shortly thereafter, van de Zandschulp appointed Peter Lukassen as head coach. “I think my game has become a bit quieter. I’ve also started to do better, so I get more ‘free’ points. That was an important point for me. I love this collaboration.”

In the next round, Van de Zandschulp will meet Frenchman Richard Gasquet, who defeated Hugo Humbert in four sets when Van de Zandschulp looked back. “My coach is now sitting there in the stands. We’ve seen them play before, but it’s good to see how they play here and get some information. They are both good players so I’m looking forward to that.”

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