By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Thursday August 29, 2024
Dutchman Botic Van de Zandschulp shocked 2022 champion Carlos Alcaraz in straight sets on Ashe.
Photo Source: TTV
By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Thursday August 29, 2024
New York—Carlos Alcaraz was sent packing at the US Open on Thursday night, falling to 74th-ranked Botic Van de Zandschulp in one of the biggest upsets in recent US Open memory, 6-1, 7-5, 6-4.
Gone is the 15-match Grand Slam winning streak of the Spanish wunderkind, who was defeated for just the second time at the majors in 2024 in a clinical two hour and 19-minute contest that represents Van de Zandschulp’s biggest career win.
“I don't know what to say right now,” Alcaraz said. “I mean, first of all, I think he played great. He played really good tennis. I thought he was going to give me more points.”
The Dutchman broke Alcaraz in six of his 14 service games, and won 28 of 35 points at net.
“I think my level stayed at the same point all the match, and it wasn't enough to win the match or to give myself the chance to get into the match or to give myself chances,” Alcaraz said.
Alcaraz, who lost to Gael Monfils in Cincinnati in his only previous hard court match of the summer swing, admitted that he was a little low on energy in New York, but didn’t want to use it as an excuse.
“It was a fight against myself, in my mind during the match,” he said. “In tennis you are playing against someone that wants the same as you, to win the match, and you have to be as calm as you can just to think better in the match and try to do good things.
“Today I was playing against the opponent, and I was playing against myself, you know, in my mind. I mean, a lot of emotions that I couldn't control.”
Van de Zandschulp, meanwhile, was in a zone. He didn’t trail by a break in any of the three sets and came up with big shots when he needed them in the second and third.
Alcaraz did contribut to his own demise in the second set. Serving at 5-all he made four consecutive errors and was broken on a double-fault. The Dutchman then held at love, playing blanketing defense when he needed it, to goad Alcaraz into missing his targets.
With Alcaraz still clinging to hope there was a trade of breaks in the third, but the Spaniard lost his serve again while serving at 4-all. The Dutchmen worked his way to 0-40 behind more sprawling defense and stellar shotmaking, and broke two points later when Alcaraz missed wide on an inside-out forehand attempt.
The pressure didn’t get to Van de Zandschulp. He held at love to close out the match, becoming the first Dutchman to defeat a Top-3 player at the US Open since Paul Haarhuis knocked off then-No.1-Boris Becker in the third round in 1991.
"I'm a little bit lost for words. It's been an incredible evening, the first night session for me on Arthur Ashe,” Van de Zandshulp said. “The crowd was amazing,"