French Open 2022, 2nd Round, Wednesday, 25.05.2022
Not in the absolute elite circle, but perhaps among the secret favourites at the French Open 2022? That might be true for both Botic van de Zandschulp and Fabio Fognini. On Wednesday, these two players will meet each other directly.
World rankings and bookmakers agree: the Dutchman is further ahead. Can I confirm this in my Van de Zandschulp Fognini tip? If you go by the odds, we can expect a close fight!
Botic van de Zandschulp is steadily moving up the rankings, so it’s clear that the 26-year-old wants to prove his class at a major tournament. Last year he had to struggle through the qualification in Paris.
And now, only 365 days later, he has already cracked the world’s top 30. His elimination in the second round against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina should not be repeated, after all, he had defeated Hubert Hurkacz in five sets in 2020.
At the latest since his quarter-final at the recent Open, it is clear what this Dutchman can achieve. He had a small lapse in his first round match in Paris and finally won 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 against Pavel Kotov.
He allowed four of six breaks, which he will not be allowed to do against Fabio Fognini. No matter how far he got in the past tournaments, he almost only failed against really strong opponents. After his retirement at the BMW Open, van de Zandschulp has recovered well
In Rome, there was an early exit in the 2nd round, but you can lose in three sets against the clay specialist Casper Ruud.
1.60 to 2.30 average, they have positioned themselves in favour of the Dutchman. But of course they also know that you should never underestimate an experienced Italian. Even if Fognini’s greatest success in Paris is a long time ago.
In 2011 he reached the quarter-finals, but before his duel with Novak Djokovic he had to withdraw injured. For the fact that Fognini has been very inconsistent in recent years, he has made a successful start at the French Open.
He celebrated a smooth victory over Alexei Popyrin with a 6-4, 7-5, 6-4 win, but he certainly had to fight. He managed to fend off six of the seven break chances, otherwise the result would probably have been much closer.
One cannot really speak of a stable form for the veteran. In Geneva, he was knocked out right at the beginning against Thanasi Kokkinakis, before that it was round 2 in Rome, and even against Dominic Thiem he showed very fluctuating tendencies.
Fognini has reached the semi-finals twice this year, but only in tournaments where he did not meet the really big competition. The Australian Open could be a bad omen, because: Here he failed to beat Tallon Griekspoor, a Dutchman!
My Van de Zandschulp Fognini Tip
Already tight in the 2nd round at the French Open, naming a favourite has it all. Botic van de Zandschulp is slightly ahead of Fabio Fognini at the bookmakers. After my analysis, I can definitely confirm that.
However, Fognini is a fighter who brings a lot of experience with him. Therefore, I can only come to the following conclusion:
We’ll see at least four sets!
