Spanish tennis sensation Carlos Alcaraz was eliminated in the second round by Botic van de Zandschulp from the Netherlands at the 2024 US Open.
The match, held on August 29, 2024, saw the world number three and 2022 champion lose 6-1, 7-5, 6-4 to the Dutch player ranked 74th globally.
Alcaraz, who had aspirations of becoming only the third man in the modern era to win the French Open, Wimbledon, and US Open in the same season, faced an unexpected early exit.
This defeat marks his earliest Grand Slam exit since Wimbledon in 2021. Reflecting on his performance, Alcaraz said, "I’m a little lost for words," highlighting the magnitude of the upset.
Van de Zandschulp, who had only one previous win over a top-five player, expressed his disbelief and joy after the match. "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," he said.
The match began with Alcaraz struggling, as he appeared on court with his left thigh heavily strapped. He dropped serve twice in the opening set and failed to hit a single winner. Despite a brief comeback in the second set, where he leveled at 2-2, Alcaraz could not maintain his momentum.
Van de Zandschulp broke again for 6-5 and took the set when Alcaraz fired a service return wide.
The 21-year-old Spaniard had never come back from a two-set deficit in his career and went into the match with a 2-0 head-to-head edge over the Dutchman. However, he slipped 2-3 down in the final set, recovered to 3-3, but was broken again in the ninth game.
Van de Zandschulp sealed his victory when Alcaraz committed his 27th unforced error of the contest.
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