Botic van de Zandschulp has delivered the biggest shock of the ongoing US Open as the Dutch tennis star knocked out third seed and four-time Grand Slam winner Carlos Alcaraz in the second round at the Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Zandschulp defeated the Spaniard 6-1, 7-5, 6-4 in straight sets to progress into the third round, ending Alcaraz’s 15-match winning run at the majors.
Alcaraz looked flat all through the contest, racking up unforced errors as he suffered his earliest exit at a Grand Slam since Wimbledon in 2021.
“I don’t know what to say right now. I mean, first of all, I think he played great,” Alcaraz said while trying to explain his loss to Zandschulp. “He played [really] good tennis. I thought he was going to give me more points. I’m going to say more free points, you know.
“He didn’t make a lot of mistakes that I thought he was going to do. So I was, you know, confusing a little bit. I didn’t know how to manage that, how to deal with it. I couldn’t increase my level. I think my level stayed at the same point all the match, and it wasn’t enough.”
The 21-year-old, who has won the last two majors this year – French Open and Wimbledon – added that he was going through a roller coaster in his mind, which dealt a huge blow on his ability to control the game.
“Today I was playing against the opponent, and I was playing against myself, you know, in my mind,” the Spaniard added.
“I mean, a lot of emotions that I couldn’t control. It was kind of, I was up in some points, then I lose some points; I get down. It was a roller coaster, let’s say, in my mind. So I can’t be like that if I want to think about big things, so I have to improve it. I have to learn about it.”
Former US Open quarter-finalist and current world number 74 Van de Zandschulp, who will next face Britain’s Jack Draper, was left speechless after recording the biggest win of his career.
“It’s been an incredible evening. First time for me having a night session on Arthur Ashe. The crowd was amazing. Thank you for that. Unbelievable night,” said Van de Zandschulp.
“I think from point one here today I believed (I had) a chance. I had some nerves but if you want to beat one of these guys you have to be unbelievably calm and keep your head there.”
Meanwhile, in the women’s category, two-time winner Naomi Osaka hit the end of the road after a 6-3, 7-5 loss to Czech’s Karolina Muchova in the second round at the Arthur Asher Stadium.
The world No. 88 struggled to match Muchova as she dropped five consecutive games and 22 of 26 points in one stretch.
“It’s been a little difficult because obviously I can only gauge how I’m doing by results,” Osaka said. “Like, I feel faster. I feel better, but I lost in the second round. … Yeah, it’s a little rough because I do take these losses really personally. It’s like a dramatic word, but I feel like my heart dies every time I lose. It sucks a lot, but I’ve been trying to be more mature and learn and talk more about them.”
Muchova, who progressed to the third round will come up against Anastasia Potapova.
