 "Botic van De Zandschulp shocked Carlos Alcaraz in the second round of the US Open. AP")
Carlos Alcaraz’s 15-match Grand Slam unbeaten streak was snapped in a sloppy 6-1, 7-5, 6-4 loss to 74th-ranked Botic van de Zandschulp on Thursday at the US Open.
Alcaraz had won the French Open in June and Wimbledon in July to raise his career total to four Grand Slam titles, including the title at Flushing Meadows in 2022. Then, in early August, Alcaraz won a silver medal at the Paris Olympics.
The 21-year-old from Spain came in with a 16-2 record at the US Open, where he’s never lost before the quarterfinals. This was also Alcaraz’s earliest defeat at any major tournament since bowing out in the second round of Wimbledon in 2021 as a teenager.
The result eliminated the pre-tournament men’s favourite and certainly was hard to predict beforehand, given the No. 3-seeded Alcaraz’s standing in the game, his excellence of late and his opponent’s far-lesser resume.
Who is Botic van de Zandschulp?
Dutchman Van de Zandschulp, born in Wageningen which is most popular for its university on life sciences, has been to a Grand Slam quarterfinal just once, getting that far at the US Open in 2021. That surge in New York was also his first trip to the US.
At the 2021 US Open, he became the third men’s qualifier to reach US Open quarters in the Open Era; first Dutchman to reach Grand Slam last-eight since 2004, and was the only player to take a set off eventual champion Daniil Medvedev.
He’s achieved a career-high ranking of 22 in August 2022 and has a career win-loss of 88-83. with $4.4 million in prize money.
The 28-year-old earned personal-best 38 wins in 2022, including victories over Cameron Norrie, Taylor Fritz and Alexander Bublik to help The Netherlands qualify for the Davis Cup Finals knockouts.
He’s won three ATP Challenger titles, all in 2019. He’s never been to the final of an ATP Tour level tournament.
By beating Alcaraz, Van de Zandschulp achieved multiple milestones. He is the first Dutchman to defeat a top-three player at a Grand Slam since Richard Krajicek beat top-ranked Pete Sampras in the quarter-finals at Wimbledon in 1996.
He is the first from his country to achieve it at the US Open since his coach Paul Haarhuis knocked out Boris Becker in the third round in 1991.
“I’m a little lost for words,” said van de Zandschulp after only his second career win over a top-five player.
“It was an incredible evening out here in my first time in the night session on Arthur Ashe. I had some unbelievable points at the net.
“I tried to stay calm. You have to keep your head against these guys otherwise they will take advantage.”