Spanish tennis star Carlos Alcaraz suffered a stunning defeat at the US Open 2024, ousted in straight sets by Dutch player Botic van de Zandschulp, ranked 74th in the world.
The second-round loss marks Alcaraz’s earliest Grand Slam exit since Wimbledon 2021. The 2022 US Open champion, Alcaraz, aimed to join the elite few to win the French Open, Wimbledon, and US Open in the same season, a dream that ended abruptly with scores of 6-1, 7-5, 6-4.
Van de Zandschulp, after his victory, expressed his astonishment and delight. “It was an incredible evening, my first night session on Arthur Ashe. I had some unbelievable points at the net. I tried to stay calm, but you must keep your head in these games, or these guys will take advantage,” he said.
Alcaraz, who struggled past Australian qualifier Li Tu in four sets in the first round, came into the match with his left thigh heavily strapped. However, physical issues became secondary as he failed to secure a single winner in the first set and faced a break early in the second. Although he managed to level the score at 2-2, his relief was short-lived as Van de Zandschulp broke again, ultimately taking the second set.
Never having recovered from a two-set deficit in his young career, Alcaraz found himself in unfamiliar territory. Despite a brief fightback to level the third set at 3-3, he couldn’t sustain the momentum, conceding another break in the ninth game. Van de Zandschulp secured the win as Alcaraz committed his 27th unforced error.
This victory marks Van de Zandschulp as the first Dutch player to defeat a top-three player at a Grand Slam since Richard Krajicek’s 1996 victory over Pete Sampras at Wimbledon. He is also the first from his country since Paul Haarhuis, his coach, defeated Boris Becker at the US Open in 1991.
