 | « Back to article | Print this article |
Dutchman Botic van de Zanschulp pulled off a major upset on Thursday, defeating top seed Carlos Alcaraz in straight sets, 6-1, 7-5, 6-4, in the second round of the US Open.
Alcaraz, who was considered one of the favourites to win the tournament, was eliminated from the competition earlier than ever before in a Grand Slam since 2021.
Van de Zanschulp's victory was a major shock to the tennis world, as he had lost to Alcaraz in straight sets in their previous two encounters. However, the Dutchman played a flawless match on Thursday, dominating Alcaraz from start to finish.
Van de Zandschulp, hampered by injuries to his left foot in the last two years, was lost for words after the biggest victory 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,' the Dutchman said.
'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.'
It was Alcaraz's earliest exit at a Grand Slam since Wimbledon in 2021.
'I don't know what to say right now. First of all, I think he played great,' Alcaraz said.
'He didn't make a lot of mistakes that I thought he was going to do so I was confused a little bit. I didn't know how to manage that.'
'I didn't feel well hitting the ball,' Alcaraz added. 'I think I made a lot of mistakes and when I wanted to come back ... it was too late.'
Van de Zanschulp's victory sets him up for a potential deep run in the US Open. He will next face Britain's Jack Draper.
Van de Zanschulp has been steadily climbing the ranks in recent years. In 2021, he made his Grand Slam debut at the Australian Open and reached the US Open quarterfinals, where he pushed Daniil Medvedev to four sets.
The following year, he advanced to the third round of both the Australian Open and French Open, facing tough losses to Medvedev and Rafael Nadal.
In 2022, Van de Zanschulp achieved a career-high ranking of world No. 22.