Eighth seed Marcos Giron will face unseeded Botic van de Zandschulp in the first round of the Antwerp Open on Tuesday, marking their fourth career meeting.
Giron has a slight edge, winning two of their three previous encounters. However, he has struggled recently, managing only two wins in his last eight matches, with both victories coming in Shanghai, where he reached the third round. Despite his inconsistency, he secured his first career tour title at the Hall of Fame Open in July and was a runner-up on indoor hard courts in Dallas earlier this year. He is currently ranked 47th in the ATP rankings.
Botic van de Zandschulp, while also facing challenges, has fared slightly better, compiling a 28-29 record and securing five wins in his last 10 matches. He, too, participated in Shanghai but exited in the second round. Known for being a strong indoor hard-court player with over 80 wins on that surface, he has struggled this year on indoor hard courts, managing just two wins in six matches. Notably, he won their most recent matchup last season in the quarter-finals in Munich. Van de Zandschulp enters the week ranked 68th in the ATP.
Given Giron’s previous success against van de Zandschulp and the slight edge in big match experience, we predict that Giron will win this match. The winner will move on to face either Arthur Rinderknech or Alexander Blockx in the next round.