🎾 ATP Kitzbühel 2025 – Round of 16 Preview
Botic van de Zandschulp 🇳🇱 vs. Filip Misolic 🇦🇹
📍 Kitzbühel | 🗓️ July 25 | 🟤 Clay (Altitude)
🧠 Form & Context
Botic van de Zandschulp
🇳🇱 Searching for rhythm: A patchy 17–20 record in 2025 with little consistency across surfaces.
🎾 Clay baseline: Steady 9–9 on clay this season—has notched solid wins over Ymer and Jarry in recent weeks.
📉 Still erratic: Capable of stunning wins (like beating Djokovic at Indian Wells) but also stumbles against lower-ranked opponents like Navone and Ugo Carabelli.
🧱 Kitzbühel debut: First time here, and adapting to slow altitude clay could be a challenge.
Filip Misolic
🇦🇹 Home soil boost: Austrian crowd favorite—finalist here in 2022 and reached R2 last year.
🔥 Clay-hot: Sporting a 36–10 clay record this year with Challenger titles and a Roland Garros R3 run.
📈 Career year: Already 50 match wins in 2025 and climbing toward the top 90 for the first time.
🎯 Sharp form: Knocked out Etcheverry in R1, made Bastad QFs last week, and thrives in altitude rallies.
🔍 Match Breakdown
This matchup pits Botic’s heavier baseline game and tour-level weapons against Misolic’s relentless consistency and clay-specific style. Van de Zandschulp brings more natural firepower, but his form and fitness have been shaky throughout the season.
Misolic has momentum, home support, and surface familiarity on his side. His ability to extend rallies and apply pressure from the backhand wing could wear down the Dutchman—especially if Botic can’t keep points short or maintain focus through long exchanges.
If the match turns into a grind, Misolic has the edge. Botic needs an efficient serving performance and to avoid getting dragged into physical exchanges where Misolic thrives.
🔮 Prediction
The Austrian enters with confidence, form, and altitude savvy—all crucial ingredients in Kitzbühel. Unless Van de Zandschulp delivers a near-flawless serving day, expect Misolic to chip away and pull ahead late.
Prediction: Filip Misolic in 3 sets – a gritty, high-quality battle tipped by home energy and clay-court composure.
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