Carlos Alcaraz recently won his third and fourth Grand Slam titles at the French Open and Wimbledon. He was also one of the top favorites in New York – and was defeated by a major outsider.
Title candidate Carlos Alcaraz was surprisingly eliminated in the second round of the US Open. The 2022 winner from Spain lost to outsider Botic van de Zandschulp 1:6, 5:7, 4:6 after a very weak performance.
After the match point, the Dutchman reacted in disbelief and without much celebration to one of the greatest sensations in recent tennis history. “I’m lost for words. It was an incredible evening for me,” said van de Zandschulp. “From the first point on, I believed that I had a chance today.”
Van de Zandschulp wins twelfth match – all year
The 21-year-old Alcaraz won the Grand Slam titles at the French Open and Wimbledon this season and was eliminated earlier than ever before in New York. Up to now, Alcaraz had always reached at least the quarter-finals at the US Open. The 28-year-old van de Zandschulp is ranked 74th in the world and has won only his twelfth match on the ATP Tour this entire season.
Alcaraz got off to a disastrous start. In the first set, which lasted just 30 minutes, he didn’t manage to score a single winning shot. When he broke his opponent’s serve to make it 2-2 in the second set, he roared with relief. But van de Zandschulp didn’t let himself be discouraged, put Alcaraz under pressure with his aggressive style and kept winning points at the net. In the third set, he managed the decisive break to make it 5-4, and was celebrating a little later.
Source: Stern
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