Carlos Alcaraz has suffered his earliest exit from a Grand Slam tournament in over three years after losing in straight sets to Dutch world No.74 Botic van de Zandschulp at the US Open.
Alcaraz, who was on a 15-match winning streak at major events, was far from his best as he suffered a stunning 6-1, 7-5, 6-4, defeat. It is the first time he has failed to win back-to-back matches at a major event since Wimbledon 2021. Against van de Zandschulp he produced 27 unforced errors and dropped serve six times.
“I don’t know what to say right now. First of all, I think he played great. He played really good tennis,” Alcaraz said. “I thought he was going to give me more points. I’m going to say more free points. He didn’t make a lot of mistakes that I thought he was going to do. So I was confused a little bit. I didn’t know how to manage that, how to deal with it. I couldn’t increase my level.
“I think my level stayed at the same point all the match, and it wasn’t enough to win the match or to give myself the chance to get into the match or try to give myself chances. So what can I say?”
The world No.3 admits his lackluster performance was also partly due to his mental game on the court. Coming into Flushing Meadows, he has only played one Tour-level hardcourt match which was at the Cincinnati Masters where he lost his opening match to Gael Monfils.
“I was up in some points. Then I lost some points, I got down. It was a roller coaster, let’s say, in my mind,” he said.“So I can’t be like that if I want to think about big things, so I have to improve it. I have to learn about it.”
Alcaraz’s dip in form comes after a stellar middle part of the season. He won both the French Open and Wimbledon before heading into the Paris Olympic Games. In Paris, he reached the final of the singles event but was denied the gold medal by Novak Djokovic in what was a gripping battle. Alcaraz also played in the doubles event with Carlos Alcaraz.
However, the 21-year-old is refusing to let his recent schedule be an excuse for his surprise loss in New York.
“I’ve been playing a lot of matches lately with Roland Garros, with Wimbledon, Olympic Games,” Alcaraz said. “I took a little break after the Olympic Games. I thought it was enough. It was really helpful for me. Probably it wasn’tenough.
“But yeah, probably I came here with not as much energy as I thought that I was going to come. But, I mean, I don’twant to put that as an excuse.”
Delight for van de Zandschulp after struggles
Embed from Getty ImagesAs Alcaraz ponders his current form, van de Zandschulp is relishing his victory after considering retirement earlier this year. He spoke about his challenges during an interview with Ubitennis two months ago. It is only the second time he has beaten a top 10 player on the Tour. His first win was over Casper Ruud in 2023.
“The tour is tough,” van de Zandschulp told reporters after beating Alcaraz. “You can play well but you can (still) only play two matches a week if you play well. If you’re not seeded in a tournament you can face (Jannik) Sinner first round.
“You can play well but still in the end you will lose a lot of matches.
“I needed more confidence after Wimbledon. I played a couple of Challengers in Europe. I think that gave my confidence a boost.”
It is not the first time the 28-year-old has gone deep in the US Open draw. In 2021, he reached the quarter-finals after coming through three rounds of qualifying. He was stopped in his tracks by Daniil Medvedev who went on to claim the title that year. On the ATP Tour, he has reached two finals.
“I’m still processing it,” he said of his latest win. “Maybe in a couple of hours or tomorrow, I’ll feel a little bit more emotional with what happened tonight.”
Van de Zandschulp will play Jack Draoer in the third round on Saturday.
