Alcaraz Shocked by De Zandschulp in US Open second round
NEW YORK: Former champion Carlos Alcaraz was ousted from the US Open in a surprising straight-sets loss to world number 74 Botic van de Zandschulp on Thursday. The Spanish third seed, who had been on a 15-match winning streak in Grand Slams after triumphs at Wimbledon and the French Open, struggled to find his rhythm and fell 6-1, 7-5, 6-4 in the second round.
Van de Zandschulp’s victory marks a historic moment for Dutch tennis, as he became the first Dutchman to defeat a top-three player at a major since Richard Krajicek’s famous win over Pete Sampras in the 1996 Wimbledon quarterfinals. The Dutchman will face Britain’s Jack Draper in the next round.
Reflecting on the loss, Alcaraz said, “It was a fight against myself, you know, in my mind during the match. In tennis, you are playing against someone that wants the same as you.”
While Alcaraz’s campaign ended in disappointment, top seeds Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek advanced to the third round with relative ease, maintaining their status as strong contenders for the title.
