Carlos Alcaraz's hopes of winning a third consecutive Grand Slam title are over after being stunned by Botic van de Zandschulp.
Alcaraz had some concerning moments in the previous round. He produced a disjointed performance against the Australian Li Tu, not finding his stride until the fourth set of that contest.
Analysts were split about whether Alcaraz was the favorite to win the US Open. The four-time champion in New York, John McEnroe, felt it was a big ask for the Spaniard after an emotionally draining season for him.
Mats Wilander agreed that Alcaraz was not the most likely man to secure the title. He feels Novak Djokovic should be considered the favorite to defend his US Open crown from last year.
However, fans and analysts alike expected Alcaraz to overcome van de Zandschulp. The Dutchman is a former quarterfinalist at Flushing Meadows, but he had not been playing near that level this year heading into the year's final Grand Slam.
Van de Zandschulp did manage an impressive straight-sets triumph against Denis Shapovalov in the previous round. Still, that was not considered an indication that shocking the former world No. 1 was on the cards.
Alcaraz was broken immediately in his first service game of the match. Van de Zandschulp made his aggressive intentions clear from the start of a contest that saw him come to the net on a total of
The four-time Grand Slam champion was at a surprisingly poor level by his exceptional standards in the opening set. His opponent broke him again in the sixth game before holding to take the set 6-1 in front of a stunned crowd on Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Van de Zandschulp broke again in the third game of the second set. The crowd came alive when Alcaraz broke back in the next game, with many undoubtedly thinking the 21-year-old's level would rise significantly.
Although Alcaraz played better throughout most of the second set, he still made unforced uncharacteristic errors. The world No. 74 van de Zandschulp also deserves credit for keeping his composure after getting broken and giving the 2022 champion nothing to feed off.
After a tight set, Alcaraz's game suddenly imploded again at 5-5, and he was broken. The Dutchman followed that by serving out the set to love and taking a two-set to love lead. Alcaraz went off the court for a significant period after losing the set.
Initially, the break did not improve his level. Alcaraz played his worst game of the match to get broken at 2-2, making a series of shocking unforced errors to lose his serve for a fifth time.
The following game was incredible. Alcaraz raised his level, and despite an amazing drop shot half-volley from van de Zandschulp to save a break point, the Spaniard broke back for 3-3.
Unfortunately for Alcaraz, he could not build on the momentum from that game. With the score at 4-4, van de Zandschulp crashed a couple of huge winners before Alcaraz hit a forehand wide to give the Dutchman a chance to serve for the match.
Van de Zandschulp showed nerves of steel to complete one of the biggest shocks in Grand Slam history. He held to seal a 6-1, 7-5, 6-4 victory that will live long in the memory.
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