Carlos Alcaraz loses to Botic van de Zandschulp in U.S. Open, ending 15-match Grand Slam win streak
Carlos Alcaraz’s 15-match Grand Slam unbeaten run ended at the U.S. Open with a sloppy 6-1, 7-5, 6-4 loss to 74th-ranked Botic van de Zandschulp in the second round on Thursday night.
Carlos Alcaraz’s 15-match Grand Slam unbeaten run ended at the U.S. Open with a sloppy 6-1, 7-5, 6-4 loss to 74th-ranked Botic van de Zandschulp in the second round on Thursday night.
Alcaraz won the French Open in June and Wimbledon in July to raise his career total to four major championships, including taking the title at Flushing Meadows in 2022, and was the pre-tournament favorite to leave with the trophy again.
Carlos Alcaraz waves to the crowd after losing to Botic van De Zandschulp at the U.S. Open on Thursday.Matthew Stockman / Getty ImagesBut he never found his footing against van de Zandschulp, a 28-year-old from the Netherlands. Alcaraz was way off, repeatedly missing the sorts of shots he usually makes routinely. After double-faulting to fall behind two sets to none — a deficit he’s never overcome — the No. 3-seeded Alcaraz slung his equipment bag over this shoulder and trudged toward the locker room.
Glancing in the direction of his coach, 2003 French Open champion Juan Carlos Ferrero, Alcaraz pointed his right index finger at his temple, then wagged that finger, as if to say, “I’m not thinking straight.”
He might have been excused for being confused by what was transpiring under the closed retractable roof at Arthur Ashe Stadium on a chilly evening.
Rating: 5