by Carlos Alcaraz was the victim of the surprise of the year at the US Open.
The world number three was upset 6-1, 7-5, 6-4 in the second round at Flushing Meadows by unseeded Dutchman Botic Van de Zandschulp, ending his chances of winning his third consecutive Grand Slam.
The fall was not gradual. Alcaraz started the first set flat, without a single winner in seven games, and his serve was still not very sharp in the second. Meanwhile, Van de Zandschulp, ranked 74th in the world, was playing some of the best tennis of his career.
Alcaraz left the court after the second set to reassemble his racquets. Whether it was motivated by legitimate concern, a mental game or an attempt to get back on track, it didn’t work. The most electric player in tennis lost his power on the court where he rose to stardom two years ago.
There was a brief moment when a comeback seemed possible, after Alcaraz prevented Van de Zandschulp from consolidating his break. He had never come back from two sets to nil down, but he looked confident, the crowd was behind him and he had a few magical points that have become his signature.
And then Van de Zandschulp broke again three games later. One serve later, and the match was over. Alcaraz politely waved to the friendly crowd, who had just watched two hours of one of the worst tennis matches of his career, and left the court.
One fan was more surprised than the others. A bettor reportedly placed a $25,000 bet on Alcaraz to win the game with BetMGM, with odds of -10,000. The payout was $250 for Alcaraz to win.
Carlos Alcaraz’s surprise defeat is a huge development
Van de Zandschulp will face No. 25 seed Jack Draper in the third round. It is a potentially game-changing career move for a player who was once ranked No. 22 in the world but has suffered a complete loss of form this year. It is the first time this year that he has reached the third round of an ATP-sanctioned tournament.
He did so by beating the 21-year-old prodigy who was expected to take over tennis over the next decade, a man who had beaten him in three sets in their two other meetings.
Alcaraz’s exit is a major development in the New York draw. The Spaniard was BetMGM’s betting favourite heading into the tournament, but even his first-round match against qualifier Li Tu saw him encounter more resistance than one would expect from a player of his calibre.
His defeat is good news for Jannik Sinner and Daniil Medvedev, one of whom probably should have faced Alcaraz in the semi-finals. Even Novak Djokovic can breathe a little easier, having lost to Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final last month (before beating him in the Olympic final).
The upset comes after No. 7 seed Hubert Hurkacz lost in three sets on Thursday. With Hurkacz and Alcaraz in the same quarter-draw, the best player still in contention to take his place in the semi-finals is No. 10 seed Alex de Minaur.
