Unseeded Botic van de Zandschulp defeated world No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz 6-1, 7-5, 6-4 in the second round of the 2024 US Open on Thursday evening at Flushing Meadows. The heavy favorite got off to a rocky start and although he fought back, he didn't seem ready for the tough mental and physical battle that evening.
The 28-year-old van de Zandschulp is thinking about retiring because he hasn't played well recently. The 21-year-old Alcaraz had now won 43 of his last 46 major matches, including the championship matches at the French Open and Wimbledon. But none of that mattered on Thursday.
“I don’t know what to say at the moment,” said a stunned Alcaraz after the defeat. “First of all, he played great. He played really good tennis. I thought he would give me more free points. He didn't make many mistakes that I thought he would make. It was a bit confusing. I did it.” I don’t know how to deal with it.
“I couldn’t improve my level. I think my level stayed the same throughout the game,” the Spaniard continued. “It wasn't enough to win the game or give me the chance to get into the game or try to create chances for myself. What can I say? I didn't feel good hitting the ball. I made a lot of mistakes.” . By the time I wanted to come back, it was too late.
van de Zandschulp seemed as stunned as everyone else. “I'm a little at a loss for words,” he said in his post-game interview, “but it was an incredible evening here.”
This was his first win against a top 10 opponent at a Grand Slam and probably one of the biggest upsets in tennis history.
Botic van de Zandschulp needed just 31 minutes to win the first set 6-1. The stats were on display at Arthur Ashe Stadium and Alcaraz looked at them in disbelief. He didn't manage a single winner and had eight unforced errors.
“Of course I had some nerves, but I think if you want to beat one of these guys you have to stay calm and keep your head,” van de Zandschulp said. “Otherwise they’ll take advantage of it.”
Alcaraz looked better, but van de Zandschulp continued to play at a high level and prevailed after an hour-long second set. After losing that one, Alcaraz left the pitch to try and reset it while looking like his head wasn't all the way in.
The defeat was Alcaraz's third setback in August following defeats at the Cincinnati Open to Gael Monfils on August 15 and the Olympic gold medal game against Novak Djokovic in Paris on August 4. After the game he was asked if he thought fatigue might have played a role.
“Probably, yes,” he said. “The tennis schedule is so tight. I've been playing a lot of games recently with Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the Olympics. After the Olympics I took a little break. I thought it was enough… It probably wasn't enough… But I don't want to use that as an excuse.”
Alcaraz is known for his athleticism and creative hitting, and he said that in the future he will have to evaluate whether he needs to take more time off on the road to the majors. Regardless, van de Zandschulp was able to match Alcaraz's energy throughout the night.
It looked like the break Alcaraz needed helped him regain some composure. When he tied the third set 3-3, the crowd cheered him loudly, his trademark smile returned to his face and he won the next game. It seemed like he might be able to turn things around, but van de Zandschulp had other plans.
He hit the fastest serve of the game at 132 miles per hour when he got the ace that leveled the score at 4-4. The spectators started the game in favor of Alcaraz, but by the end of the evening they also showed a lot of love for the Dutch player. In total, van de Zandschulp only needed two hours and 21 minutes.
The furthest a Dutch player has ever progressed in a major was the quarterfinals at the 2021 US Open. van de Zandschulp will now look to take the next step in the third round against No. 25 seed Jack Draper.
