Carlos Alcaraz’s 15-match Grand Slam unbeaten run ended on the U.S. Open with a sloppy 6-1, 7-5, 6-4 loss to 74th-ranked Botic van de Zandschulp within the second spherical on Thursday night time.
Alcaraz received the French Open in June and Wimbledon in July to lift his profession whole to 4 main championships, together with taking the title at Flushing Meadows in 2022, and was the pre-tournament favourite to depart with the trophy once more.
However he by no means discovered his footing towards van de Zandschulp, a 28-year-old from the Netherlands. Alcaraz was means off, repeatedly lacking the types of pictures he often makes routinely. After double-faulting to fall behind two units to none — a deficit he’s by no means overcome — the No. 3-seeded Alcaraz slung his gear bag over this shoulder and trudged towards the locker room.
Glancing within the route of his coach, 2003 French Open champion Juan Carlos Ferrero, Alcaraz pointed his proper index finger at his temple, then wagged that finger, as if to say, “I’m not considering straight.”
He may need been excused for being confused by what was transpiring beneath the closed retractable roof at Arthur Ashe Stadium on a cold night.
The 21-year-old from Spain got here in with a 16-2 file on the U.S. Open, the place he by no means had been eradicated earlier than the quarterfinals in three earlier appearances. This additionally was Alcaraz’s earliest loss at any main match since bowing out within the second spherical of Wimbledon in 2021 as a young person; he’s by no means misplaced within the first spherical at a Slam occasion.
The opening set Thursday was unbelievably lopsided. With van de Zandschulp’s highly effective forehands and serves at as much as 132 mph discovering their marks, Alcaraz by no means appeared to get snug — even when he had received their previous two matchups.
Alcaraz didn’t produce a single winner in that set and was practically doubled up in whole factors, 24-13. The second set was a bit higher for him, however not sufficient so, and a double-fault gift-wrapped a service break that put van de Zandschulp up 6-5. When Alcaraz pushed a forehand vast to finish the subsequent sport, van de Zandschulp completed off a maintain at love that gave him the preliminary two units after 1 1/2 hours of motion.
It didn’t take lengthy for Alcaraz to fall behind by a break within the third, too, at 3-2, however he made a stand instantly — nicely, with some assist, as a result of van de Zandschulp’s double-fault ceded a break that made it 3-all. Alcaraz then held at love and smiled as he strutted to the changeover.
That smile was shortly gone, although, as a result of Alcaraz’s errors stored arriving, and van de Zandschulp by no means folded.