Van de Zandschulp, ranked 75th in the ATP Rankings, was drawn with 30th-ranked Nakashima in Melbourne as the Dutchman sought to clinch his first first-round win at the Australian Open since 2023.
Underdog Van de Zandschulp got off to the better start after Nakashima dropped his first service game. Not a single break point would come around again until the ninth and final game, when Van de Zandschulp profited optimally from the second break point to clinch the first set 6-3.
After a quick opening set, Nakashima, who'd won just five return points to start the match, flipped the script with a more aggressive approach. Nakashima forced three break points before emphatically breaking his Dutch counterpart in the ninth game, coming back from a 40-0 deficit to win eight of the final nine points of a victorious second set.
The match soon turned ultra-competitive, with neither of the two final sets finishing within the hour. Nakashima and Van de Zandschulp expertly held on to their service games in a winner-heavy third set, which saw both players combine for 30 winners.
In the consequential tiebreak, Nakashima soon lost control and fell 7-1 to Van de Zandschulp, who capped his set win off with a perfect drop shot and ace.
Two hours, two sets
The fourth set saw more of the same, with Nakashima and Van de Zandschulp battling for each point as they failed break their opponent once throughout the set. After Nakashima got to set point in the twelfth game, Van de Zandschulp rallied to get back alongside the American and force another tiebreak.
This time, it was Nakashima who dealt the first blow after dealing Van de Zandschulp a quick mini-break on the Dutchman's first serve of the tiebreak. Van de Zandschulp answered resolutely, however, winning five straight points to turn the tide and breaking Nakashima one last time to win the tiebreak 7-3.
Van de Zandschulp will now meet Junchen Shang, the Chinese 318th-ranked player in the world, in the second round of the Australian Open.
Check out all the match statistics on Flashscore
