Van de Zandschulp’s fate has been somewhat tough, losing all three ATP Tour finals he reached.

The ATP Tour is well known to many fans, composed of Masters 1000, 500, and 250 tournaments, spanning from January to October. Many players set winning a Tour title as a career goal. Yet, one particular player has had notable Grand Slam performances and victories over top 10 opponents. Despite this, he reached three Tour finals but was defeated each time. So, who is this player? Who did he lose to in those three finals? This article will take you through his story.

This player is the Dutchman Van de Zandschulp, who won his first Challenger title back in 2019. That year, he improved his world ranking by over 300 places and broke into the top 200 for the first time. In 2021, starting from the US Open qualifiers, he won seven consecutive matches to reach his first Grand Slam quarterfinal. That year, Van de Zandschulp entered the top 100 for the first time, gaining much attention from fans.

At the end of April 2022, Van de Zandschulp entered the ATP 250 Munich Open as the eighth seed. In the first round, he defeated American Brandon Nakashima, who had twice reached Tour finals, in straight sets to advance. In the second round, he dominated Belarusian Grachev, allowing only five games over two sets. In the quarterfinals, he beat Norwegian Ruud, who had recently reached his first Masters final, in straight sets to reach the semifinals.

In the semifinals against Serbian Kecmanovic, Van de Zandschulp came back from losing the first set to win the next two, securing his first ATP Tour final appearance. He was now just one step away from a title. Unfortunately, despite leading in the final, an injury forced him to retire from the match.

In mid-April 2023, having reached his first Masters round of 16, Van de Zandschulp entered the ATP 250 Munich Open as the fourth seed, earning a first-round bye. In the second round, he cruised past former Australian Open semifinalist Russian Karatsev without dropping a game. In the quarterfinals, he beat American Giron in straight sets to reach the semifinals. There, he faced American Fritz, who had just reached his first Masters clay quarterfinal, and defeated him decisively in straight sets to reach his second Tour final.

In the final, his opponent was Danish player Rune. Notably, Rune was also Van de Zandschulp’s opponent in the previous season’s Munich Open final. Since then, Rune has won a Masters title and reached his first Masters clay final, riding a wave of confidence. The match was fiercely contested, going to a deciding set tiebreak, where Van de Zandschulp lost, continuing his streak of no Tour titles.

Recently, at the ATP 250 Winston-Salem Open, Van de Zandschulp defeated Australian Walton, Italian Arnaldi, and Argentine Baez to reach the quarterfinals. In a tough three-set battle, he overcame China’s top player, Mongolian-born Bu Yunchaokete, to reach the semifinals.

In the semifinals, Van de Zandschulp beat French player Moutet in straight sets to reach his third ATP Tour final, just one win away from a title. Unfortunately, in the final, he was defeated in straight sets by Hungarian Fucsovics, missing out on the championship once again. This is Van de Zandschulp’s tennis story for today; more to come tomorrow.(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Yixin Jushi)