Hamburg Open 2022: Alejandro Davidovic Fokina vs. Botic Van de Zandschulp Tennis Pick and Prediction

TennisSection previews the 2022 Hamburg Open as Alejandro Davidovich Fokina takes on Botic van de Zandschulp in the first round on Monday, July 18th, 2022.

They may possess the longest names of any tennis player, but both Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and Botic van de Zandschulphave let their tennis do the talking in the first half of the season. The pair will square off in an intriguing first-round match at the Hamburg Open.

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina was beaten by Sebastian Baez in the second round of the Nordea Open last week, as he succumbed to his 18th defeat of the season. After a fantastic start to his clay-court campaign, things have since gone awry for the flamboyant Spaniard who has only managed to win back-to-back matches at three tournaments all season. One of those came at the Monte Carlo Masters when he reached the biggest final of his career. But since leaving the Principality, his momentum has clearly been torn to shreds. Can he find his winning touch at the Hamburg Open when he takes on Botic van de Zandschulp?

Botic van de Zandschulp, for his part, is sitting at a career-high ranking of No. 24 ahead of his debut appearance at the HamburgOpen. Van de Zandschulp has enjoyed a fine season on the main tour, compiling a 26-17 record for the year so far and reaching his maiden ATP title in Munich. At Wimbledon, he made the second week of a Grand Slam for the second time and was extremely unfortunate to draw Rafael Nadal in the fourth round.

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and Botic van de Zandschulp are currently tied at 1-1 in their head-to-head. The Spaniard won their first meeting at the French Open in 2021 in five sets. But it was the Dutchman who served revenge at Queens a month ago, triumphing in straight sets. Davidovich Fokina will need to address his recent slide after a promising start to the season, but the formbook suggests a win is slightly a long shot at the Hamburg Open for the Spaniard.