Botic van de Zandschulp won one of his biggest matches of his career, and also caused a major upset after stunning 2022 US Open champion Carlos Alcaraz 6-1, 7-5, 6-4 in the US Open second round
Botic van de Zandschulp won one of his biggest matches of his career, and also caused a major upset after stunning 2022 US Open champion Carlos Alcaraz 6-1, 7-5, 6-4 in the second round at Arthur Ashe Stadium. (Full US Open Coverage| More Tennis News)
The Dutchman looked in complete control, striking the ball with monstrous forehands, disrupting the Spaniard’s baseline rhythm.
The victory also marked Zandschulp’s highest-ranked triumph of his career.
The defeat is Alcaraz’s first Grand Slam second round loss since Wimbledon 2021, where he lost to Daniil Medvedev.
The Spaniard never really recovered from a shaky start, and made quite a few unforced errors throughout the match.
The 28-year-old also ended Alcaraz’s 15-match winning run at Grand Slams, after putting Alcaraz on the backfoot winning the first three games with world class defending from the baseline.
He then broke again in the sixth, to take the first set.
A few tactical changes on court helped Alcaraz but the four-time Grand Slam champion was unable to carry forward the momentum and Zandschulp took advantage to eventually take the match.
Zandschulp will now take on 25th seed Jack Draper in the third round.