US Open 2024: Alcaraz Stunned by van de Zandschulp in Second-Round Upset

On Friday, August 30, third-seed Carlos Alcaraz faced a surprising defeat at the 2024 US Open, losing in the second round to the Netherlands’ Botic van de Zandschulp. The match, held at Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York, saw Alcaraz fall in straight sets with a score of 1-6, 5-7, 4-6. This loss ended the world number three’s hopes of becoming just the third man in the modern era to win the French Open, Wimbledon, and US Open in the same season.

Alcaraz, 21, had previously reached at least the quarterfinals in his three prior appearances at the US Open. However, this defeat marks his earliest exit at a Grand Slam since his second-round loss at Wimbledon in 2021.

Reflecting on his victory over Alcaraz, van de Zandschulp expressed his surprise, stating, “I’m a little lost for words. 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.”

This win marks van de Zandschulp’s second career victory over a top-five player.

Alcaraz entered the match with his left thigh heavily strapped, and even in the first round, he had struggled to secure a win, needing four sets to overcome Australian qualifier Li Tu. Despite the strapping, it was clear that Alcaraz was not at his best during the match. He lost his serve twice in the opening set and squandered break points early in the second set. Van de Zandschulp capitalized on these mistakes, breaking Alcaraz’s serve to take a 2-1 lead in the second set. Although Alcaraz managed to level the score at 2-2, van de Zandschulp ultimately took the second set 7-5 after Alcaraz missed a service return.

In the third set, van de Zandschulp continued his dominance, sealing the match as Alcaraz committed his 27th unforced error. This victory marked van de Zandschulp’s first win over the Spanish star.

Additionally, van de Zandschulp made history by becoming the first Dutchman to defeat a top-three player at a Grand Slam since Richard Krajicek defeated former world number one Pete Sampras in the 1996 Wimbledon quarterfinals. He is also the first Dutch player to achieve this feat at the US Open since his coach, Paul Haarhuis, beat Boris Becker in the third round of the 1991 tournament.