NEW YORK (AP) — After double-faulting to fall behind two units to none — a deficit he’s by no means overcome — within the second spherical of the U.S. Open on Thursday night time, Carlos Alcaraz slung his tools bag over a shoulder and trudged towards the locker room.

Glancing within the course 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 pondering straight.”

He may need been excused for being confused by what was transpiring below the closed retractable roof at Arthur Ashe Stadium on a cold night, and one set later, Alcaraz’s 15-match Grand Slam unbeaten streak was over with a sloppy 6-1, 7-5, 6-4 loss to 74th-ranked Botic van de Zandschulp.

“It was a battle in opposition to myself, in my thoughts, throughout the match. In tennis, you’re enjoying in opposition to somebody that desires the identical as you — to win the match — and you must be as … calm as you may, simply to suppose higher within the match and attempt to do good issues,” Alcaraz stated. “Right now I used to be enjoying in opposition to the opponent, and I used to be enjoying in opposition to myself, in my thoughts. A variety of feelings that I couldn’t management.”

The outcome eradicated the pre-tournament males’s favourite and positively was onerous to foretell beforehand, given the No. 3-seeded Alcaraz’s standing within the sport, his excellence of late and his opponent’s far-lesser resume.

It adopted one other exit in Ashe for a previous U.S. Open champion, Naomi Osaka, who was despatched residence Thursday by Karolina Muchova 6-3, 7-6 (5). That one, although, was not practically as out-of-nowhere as what occurred to Alcaraz.

He gained the French Open in June and Wimbledon in July to boost his profession complete to 4 main championships, together with taking the title at Flushing Meadows in 2022. Then, in early August, Alcaraz gained a silver medal on the Paris Olympics, dropping to Novak Djokovic within the last.

Possibly, Alcaraz acknowledged, a tennis schedule he referred to as “so tight” drained him an excessive amount of.

“Most likely, I got here right here with not as a lot power as I assumed that I used to be going to (have),” he stated. “However, I imply, I don’t need to put that as excuse.”

What’s clear is he by no means discovered his footing in opposition to van de Zandschulp, a 28-year-old from the Netherlands. Alcaraz was approach off, repeatedly lacking the types of photographs he often makes routinely.

The 21-year-old from Spain got here in with a 16-2 report on the U.S. Open, the place he by no means misplaced earlier than the quarterfinals in three earlier appearances. This additionally was Alcaraz’s earliest defeat at any main match since bowing out within the second spherical of Wimbledon in 2021 as an adolescent; he’s by no means been crushed within the first spherical at a Slam occasion.

In distinction, van de Zandschulp solely as soon as has been to a Grand Slam quarterfinal, getting that far on the U.S. Open in 2021.

In any other case, although, he’s not somebody most folk would have anticipated to drag off this type of monumental upset. Take into account: van de Zandschulp was simply 11-18 for the season firstly of this week and hadn’t gained consecutive matches at a tour-level occasion in 2024 till now.

“Really, I’m a little bit bit perplexed,” he stated. “It’s been an unbelievable night for me.”

Certain was.

The important thing stat most likely was that van de Zandschulp gained the purpose on 28 of his 35 journeys to the web.

The opening set 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 comfy.

He didn’t produce a single winner in that set and was practically doubled up in complete 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 following sport, van de Zandschulp completed off a maintain at love that gave him the preliminary two units after 1 1/2 hours of motion.

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 grin shortly was gone, although, as a result of Alcaraz’s errors stored arriving, and van de Zandschulp by no means folded.

“After all I had some nerves, however I believe if you wish to beat one among these guys, you must preserve your calm and preserve your head there,” stated van de Zandschulp, who will face No. 25 seed Jack Draper of Britain within the third spherical on Saturday. “In any other case, they benefit from it.”

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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

Howard Fendrich, The Related Press