NEW YORK/STARNBERG, August 30, 2024
Botic van de Zandschulp pulled off one of the most remarkable upsets in recent history on Thursday, knocking out 2022 champion Carlos Alcaraz 6-1, 7-5, 6-4 in the second round of the US Open, ending the Spaniard’s bid for a third consecutive Grand Slam title.
The World No. 74 from the Netherlands played with confidence, aggressively seizing opportunities to move forward and disrupt Alcaraz’s rhythm from the baseline. This victory over the World No. 3 marks the highest-ranked win of van de Zandschulp’s career.
Botic van de Zandschulp just knocked Carlos Alcaraz out of the US Open! pic.twitter.com/QK3ZrkoPgx
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) August 30, 2024
“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,” van de Zandschulp said.
“I got a lot of confidence from my last match [against Denis Shapovalov]. I played really solid and from point one tonight, I believed I could have a chance and you see how it sometimes turns out.”
Van de Zandschulp will next face 25th seed Jack Draper from Great Britain in the third round Saturday.
“It was a fight against myself, you know, in my mind during the match,” Alcaraz said in his post-match press conference. “In tennis you are playing against someone that wants the same as you, to win the match, and you have to be as calm as you can just to think better in the match and try to do good things.”
Sinner seals 50th win of the season
Earlier in the day, Jannik Sinner secured his 50th win of the season at the US Open, where he claimed a tour-leading 30th victory on hard courts by defeating #NextGenATP US-American Alex Michelsen 6-4, 6-0, 6-2.
The 23-year-old Italian, ranked World No. 1, has had an exceptional 2024, capturing five titles, including his first Grand Slam at the Australian Open. Sinner hit 28 winners, using his power and shot depth to force errors from Michelsen, earning his second win this month against the 20-year-old.
Having previously defeated Michelsen in their first head-to-head encounter on his way to lifting the trophy at the Cincinnati Open, Sinner advanced to the third round at the US Open for the fourth straight year after one hour and 41 minutes.
50th win of the year, 30th on hardcourt 🔥
Jannik Sinner’s 2024 numbers keep on growing. pic.twitter.com/pUG8P3eYZL
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) August 29, 2024
“[I’m] very happy to be through against a very tough opponent,” Sinner said afterward. “I always enjoy playing here, and every match is different, has its own story, but today I’m very happy, so we’ll see what’s coming.”
The top seed will next face Christopher O’Connell from Australia.
