Carlos Alcaraz was knocked out of the US Open on Thursday.
The Spaniard, 21, was beaten in straight sets by Botic van de Zandschulp, with the unfancied Dutchman winning 6-1, 7-5, 6-4 in New York. It will go down as one of the greatest upsets in US Open history.
Alcaraz was widely expected to beat Van de Zandschulp heading into Thursday’s match after winning the French Open and Wimbledon titles earlier this year. The four-time Grand Slam winner is also a former champion in Queens, winning in 2022.
Van de Zandschulp, meanwhile, has never got beyond the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam and came into the US Open unseeded. Yet the 28-year-old dominated Thursday’s match from start to finish, with Alcaraz making several uncharacteristic errors.
Holy smokes,” tweeted former Wimbledon finalist Nick Kyrgios after the shock result, echoing the feelings of the tennis world.
Alcaraz’s exit is a huge boost for British hopeful Jack Draper, who was poised to play the Spanish superstar in the third round on Saturday. Draper, 22, now has a glorious chance to reach the second week of the US Open against Van de Zandschulp.
The news will also be welcomed by world No.1 Jannik Sinner. There are now just two top-10 seeded players remaining in the top half of the draw: Daniil Medvedev (fifth seed) and Alex de Minaur (10th seed).
And what about Novak Djokovic? Despite Jannik’s ranking, the Olympic champion is now surely the red-hot favourite to win a record 25th Grand Slam title. No one singles player, male or female, has ever achieved that in tennis.
