Sick Carlos Alcaraz Overcomes His US Open Conqueror To Record Debut Win In Rotterdam
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Carlos Alcaraz might not have won easily or efficiently in his first match at the 2025 Rotterdam Open, but he won, and that's what counts.
Alcaraz chose a different approach to his season this year than in the previous seasons. Previously, the Spaniard competed at the Golden Swing, which is a series of clay-court tournaments in South America.
This year, the four-time major winner chose a different approach. He signed up for a few hard-court tournaments, and his first of those is the Rotterdam Open, where he made his debut.
The ATP 500 tournament in Rotterdam is Alcaraz's first since his loss to Novak Djokovic in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open. However, he didn't arrive in the Netherlands at his best.
The Spanish player admitted ahead of the tournament in Rotterdam that he has struggled with sickness. That's why he has worn a nasal strip during his practice sessions.
A nasal strip should enlarge a person's nostrils and make it easier to breathe, especially if they struggle with a full nose, which is Alcaraz's case. He appeared with the nasal strip also for his first-round match in Rotterdam.
The 21-year-old likely wasn't happy about who he saw on the other side of the net. His opponent was Botic van de Zandschulp, who beat him the last two times they met.
First, Van de Zandschulp stunned Alcaraz at the US Open, and the Dutch player then also played a doubles match against Alcaraz at the Davis Cup. With a win, Van de Zandschulp ended Rafael Nadal's career.
Now they met again, and the Dutch player started better once again. Van de Zandschulp had a one-break lead for the majority of the first set. At 5-4, he was serving for the set and even had a set point.
But Alcaraz was able to rally back, take the first set into a tie-break, and win it 7-3, to practically steal the first set of this match from his opponent.
The Spanish player needed that set, as in the second set, his opponent was the better player. Alcaraz had two chances to break his opponent's serve, but after he couldn't do it, Van de Zandschulp used his chance.
The Dutch player got to a 4-2 lead, and he served perfectly for the remainder of the set to keep his one-break lead and win the second set of the match 6-3, forcing a decider in Rotterdam.
But Alcaraz established that he came to the Dutch city for more than one match early in the third set. He broke early and showed some of his best tennis in this match.
The Spanish player then added one more break, and relatively easily, he won the third set of this match. Alcaraz won the match 7-6(3), 3-6, 6-1 to secure a second-round spot at the 2025 Rotterdam Open.
But his second-round match might be even more challenging than that in the first round. His opponent could be Felix Auger-Aliassime, who just won a title in Montpellier. The Canadian will play against qualifier Andrea Vavassori in the first round.
