Carlos Alcaraz stunned by 74th rank Dutch player at US Open 2024
The defending US Open champion, Carlos Alcaraz suffered a shocking defeat in the second round of the US Open 2024. The current world no.3 lost his match against 74th-ranked Botic Van De Zandschulp. This upset is a major surprise as Alcaraz has recently won the silver medal in the Paris Olympics 2024 and Zandschulp has a way lower ranking than Alcaraz.
From the start of the game, Carlos Alcaraz struggled to find his rhythm and battle against himself as much as his opponent. “It was a fight against myself, in my mind, during the match,” Alcaraz said after the loss. “In tennis, you are playing against someone that wants the same as you — to win the match — and you have to be as … calm as you can, just to think better in the match and try to do good things. Today I was playing against the opponent, and I was playing against myself, in my mind. A lot of emotions that I couldn’t control.”
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This defeat ended Carlos Alcaraz’s 15-match Grand Slam unbeaten streak. His winning streak includes victories at the French Open and Wimbledon earlier this year. The loss also eliminated the pre-tournament men’s favorite, making it an unexpected tournament.
Carlos Alcaraz acknowledged that the demanding tennis schedule might have contributed to his performance. “Probably, I came here with not as much energy as I thought that I was going to [have],” he said. “But, I mean, I don’t want to put that as excuse.”
The match against Van De Zandschulp was a stark contrast to Alcaraz’s previous performances at the US Open. He had never lost before the quarterfinals in his three previous appearances. However, this time, he struggled to find his footing against the Dutch player, who played a solid match and capitalized on Alcaraz’s errors.
Van De Zandschulp, who had 11-18 record for the season before the tournament, was thrilled with his victory. “Actually, I am a little bit at a loss for words,” he said. “It’s been an incredible evening for me.”
The key stat in the match was Van De Zandschulp’s success at the net, winning the point on 28 of his 35 trips. Alcaraz’s inconsistent play and Van De Zandschulp’s aggressive approach proved to be the deciding factors in the match.
The early exit of Carlos Alcaraz from the US Open is a major upset and will be a talking point in the tennis world. However, Alcaraz will learn from his mistakes and aim to make a stronger comeback. As for Van De Zandschulp, he will look to build on this victory and continue his amazing performance in the US Open 2024.
