by Carlos Alcaraz was on the wrong side of the upset of the year at the US Open.
The world No. 3 was shocked 6-1, 7-5, 6-4 in the second round at Flushing Meadows by the unseeded Botic Van de Zandschulp of the Netherlands, ending his bid to win his third consecutive Grand Slam .
Nor was the fall a gradual process. Alcaraz came out flat as can be in the first set, without scoring a single winner in seven games, and he still didn’t have much bite on his serve in the second. Meanwhile, Van de Zandschulp, ranked 74th in the world, was playing some of the best tennis of his career.
Alcaraz walked away from the court after the second set to hold his rackets. Whether this decision was born out of legitimate concern, a mind game, or an attempt to reset, it didn’t work. The power is out for tennis’ most electric player, on the court where he rose to stardom two years ago.
There was a brief moment when a comeback looked possible, after Alcaraz prevented Van de Zandschulp from consolidating a break. He had never come back from two sets down for anyone, but he looked confident, the crowd was behind him and he had some magic points that became his signature.
And then Van de Zandschulp broke it 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 some of the worst tennis of his career, and left the court.
However, one fan was more stunned than others. A bettor reportedly deposited $25,000 on Alcaraz to win the match with BetMGM, at -10000 odds. The payment Alcaraz had won: $250.
Carlos Alcaraz’s upset loss is a huge development
Van de Zandschulp will announce himself to face No. 25 Jack Draper in the third round. It’s a potentially career-changing move for a player who has been ranked No. 22 in the world, but has seen a complete loss of form this year. This is the first time he has advanced to the third round of a year-round ATP-sanctioned tournament.
He did so by beating 21-year-old Wünderkind, widely expected to take tennis into the next decade, someone who had beaten him in straight sets in their other two meetings.
The release of Alcaraz is a massive development across the draw in New York. The Spaniard was Betmgm’s betting favorite heading into the tournament, but even his first-round match against qualifier Li Tu saw him encounter more resistance than you’d expect from a player of his caliber.
His loss is a good development for Jannik Sinner and Daniil Medvedev, one of whom was likely to face Alcaraz in the semifinals. Even Novak Djokovic can breathe a little easier, having lost to Alcaraz in the final at Wimbledon last month (before beating him in the Olympic final).
This upset also comes after No. 7 seed Hubert Hurkacz’s straight loss on Thursday. Because Hurkacz and Alcaraz were in the same bracket quarter, the best player who can take that slot in the semifinals is No. 10 Alex de Minaur.
