professional shots
NOS Sports•
Botic van de Zandschulp prepares for the US Open at the Winston-Salem ATP Tournament. After beating compatriot Talon Groenebur (7-6 (5), 6-3) and Spain’s Jaume Munnar (6-3, 6-3), France’s Benjamin Ponzi (ATP-50) had to give up now. It was accomplished in two groups: 7-6 (6), 7-6 (1).
Adrian Mannarino (ATP-65) now awaits in the semi-finals, who defeated French-American opponent Maxime Creasy 6-4, 7-6. If Van de Zandschulp wins the championship in North Carolina, he will move up to 19th in the ATP rankings. The US Hard Court Championships is the latest preparation for the US Open, which begins on Monday.
Two breaks tie
Van de Zandschulp (ATP-23) needed just over two hours to tackle Bonzi in North Carolina. The guys didn’t break each other in the first set. In the tiebreak, Ponzi eliminated Van de Zandschulp’s first set point, but the second seed used the 26-year-old Dutchman (8-6).
The second group started with a small hiccup for Van de Zandschulp. Bonzi broke and went on to win his service game. With a 3-3 re-break, Van de Zandschulp sorted things out and in the second half of the match, the Dutchman was the better. After a few strong points, the score was soon 5-0 and in the end Van de Zandschulp won 7-1.
Saturday morning at 01.00 Van de Zandschulp will play his semi-final match against Mannarino. If he wins, he will face Marc-Andrea Heusler (ATP-102) or Laszlo Djer (ATP-89) in the final.
