Carlos Alcaraz’s US Open should never have ended like this, neither so early nor with so little resistance.
But Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp knew no such script as he eliminated the Spanish wunderkind in the second round on Wednesday with a dominant 6-1, 7-5, 6-4 victory.
Alcaraz, winner of the French Open and Wimbledon this year, never quite got off the ground here on Arthur Ashe as his opponent stretched the court, but his own decision-making was also to blame at times.
The Spanish superstar conceded 27 unforced errors and her tournament ended much sooner than expected, with a blatant drop shot hitting the net at 15-30, with the third set tied 2-2 on her serve (she subsequently lost her serve), serving as a fitting symbol of her disappointing night.
Nick Kyrgios, who has been commentating for ESPN, advised Alcaraz will tone down his spectacularity Before the game, and maybe he was right.
Carlos Alcaraz has surprisingly been eliminated from the US Open in the second round
At one point, the Spaniard cupped his ear to wave to the crowd in the third set after forcing a deuce; of course, he was two sets to one down at the time and lost the game immediately after, before van de Zandschulp grabbed a stunning break that allowed him to serve out the match.
The result represented extremes on both sides, as it is Alcaraz’s worst result at a Grand Slam since Wimbledon 2021 and the first time van de Zandschulp has achieved won consecutive main draw matches in a tournament this year.
You would never have known it from the way he dismantled Alcaraz on Wednesday, breaking his opponent’s serve no less than six times and never really looking worried about the four-time Grand Slam winner.
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