Novak Djokovic continued his steady run of form at the Australian Open, extending his winning streak to seven consecutive matches as he moved closer to another deep Grand Slam campaign in Melbourne.
After lifting the trophy in Athens earlier this season — a tournament extensively covered on TennisSignals — Djokovic arrived in Australia with renewed momentum and clear intent, chasing a historic 25th Grand Slam title.
A tricky opponent with past success
In the third round, Djokovic faced Botic van de Zandschulp, a player who has previously shown he can challenge the Serbian. The Dutchman remains one of the rare players without a losing head-to-head record against Djokovic, having defeated him at Indian Wells last year, while Djokovic claimed their earlier meeting in Astana in 2022.
Despite that history, Djokovic entered this match as the clear favorite — a status he fully justified over three sets.
Early control and service dominance
Djokovic asserted control early in the opening set. Once he secured the break, his precise and reliable serving allowed him to close out the set without difficulty, denying Van de Zandschulp any real opportunity to respond.
The second set followed a similar pattern, with Djokovic breaking twice to race into a 3–0 lead. Although Van de Zandschulp managed to recover one break, the gap proved too large, and Djokovic calmly sealed the set with disciplined baseline play and strong service games.
Resistance in the third set
The third set offered greater resistance. Van de Zandschulp found a more effective rhythm and was the first to break, briefly placing Djokovic under pressure. The Serbian responded immediately, restoring balance and later facing a set point at 5–6.
The set ultimately moved into a tie-break, where Djokovic’s experience and composure proved decisive. He controlled the key exchanges to claim the tie-break 7–4 and secure victory in straight sets.
Momentum building in Melbourne
Ranked 75th in the world, with a career-high ranking of No. 22 in 2022, Van de Zandschulp competed with resilience but was unable to sustain pressure across all three sets.
For Djokovic, the performance reinforced his growing confidence and rhythm as the tournament progresses — another controlled step forward in Melbourne.
With the tournament intensity continuing to rise, focus now shifts to Day 7, where physical and mental demands are expected to increase further.
By RayaJogi – Own work, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=149742369
By si.robi – Van de Zandschulp RG21 (29), CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=108523489