(New York-Flushing Meadows) - Former US Open champion Carlos Alcaraz’s 2024 run at the major went as far as the second round, following Dutch Botic van de Zandschulp’s impressive performance on Thursday night in front of a packed Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Thursday night in Arthur Ashe Stadium was far from being business as usual for the four-time Grand Slam champion Carlos Alcaraz, knocked out in the second round by world No. 74 Botic van de Zandschulp 6-1, 7-5, 6-4 after two hours and 19 minutes in dominant fashion.
During the post-match press conference, the Spaniard said: “I was playing against the opponent, and I was playing against myself in my mind. A lot of emotions that I couldn’t control. It was kind of a rollercoaster in my mind.”
It was a tough loss for the Paris Olympic silver medalist, whose timing seemed off from the onset, misfiring shots he usually does not miss.
Speaking about his adversary, the world No. 3 outlined: “He played really good tennis. I thought he was going to give me more points, 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, to deal with it.”
In New York, the Dutch player is showcasing his best tennis this season, achieving back-to-back main draw matches - took out Canadian Denis Shapovalov in his opener - advancing to the third round at the slam on merit.
As a result, he became the first Dutchman to outlast a top 3 player at the US Open since 1991, writing history for his nation.
“I’m a little bit lost for words. It’s been an incredible evening, the first night session for me on Arthur Ashe. The crowd was amazing,” the 28-year-old, who captured the most significant win of his career by ranking against the Spanish player, asserted in his on-court interview.
“Of course, I had some nerves. But, if you want to beat one of these guys, you have to be unbelievably calm and keep your head there. Otherwise, they will take advantage,” he stated.
Van de Zandschulp stayed the course, focused on his game, moving with great speed, taking one game at a time to ultimately notch a dominant three-set win, shutting the door to the Murcia native when he attempted to put into motion a late challenge that never really happened.
In that regard, Alcaraz stressed: “I think my level stayed at the same point all the match, and it wasn’t enough to win it or to give myself a chance to get into the match or try to give myself chances.”
Adding: “I didn’t feel well hitting the ball. I made a lot of mistakes. When I wanted to come back, it was too late.”
The unseeded Dutch player has been struggling to find confidence, dropping in the rankings and even considering retirement; playing Challengers in Europe has helped him find a confidence boost, winning consecutive matches.
“If you’re not seeded in a tournament, you can play tough opponents, you can play well, but in the end, you will lose a lot of matches. So, I needed a little bit more confidence in winning matches.
“After Wimbledon, I played a couple of challengers in Europe, trying to play more matches in a row, that gave my confidence a good boost. Here we are now.”
On Thursday night, he held his nerve throughout the match, delivering nothing but his A-game on the largest tennis stadium in the world, winning 78 percent of points on his first serve, converting 6 of 9 break point opportunities he earned.
In addition, he finished with 22 winners against 21 unforced errors compared to Alcaraz’s 21 and 27, respectively.
Furthermore, during his press conference, the former world No. 22 spoke about his mindset across the contest, which he labeled “emotionally stable.”
“When I won the first set, you’re going to think, he’s one of the best players in the world, and he’s coming up with a different level. I broke him quite soon in the second set and got broken back. Then, it went down to 5-All, and I served it out pretty good,” he recalls.
“Then, in the third, even in the third, you’re thinking, he’s going to come up with something special. Again, I broke him pretty quick and got broken back. I think until 5-4 in the third, I still had something in the back of my mind that he was going to come up with something special. So, I was thinking about that the whole match.”
Addressing his game plan, van de Zandschulp said: “Today, I tried to beat him to the punch a little bit there. I tried to come in a lot to the net, so he wasn’t able to. I think I did a good job there.”
“He’s someone who can do everything with the tennis ball. That’s why facing him is unbelievably tough.”
The Wageningen-born will square off against Briton Jack Draper on Saturday for the first time at tour level, aiming to book his ticket into the round of 16.
Earlier in the day, Draper beat Argentine Facundo Diaz Acosta in straight sets.
