In the 2024 US Open, unseeded Botic van de Zandschulp defeated the world number three Carlos Alcaraz, 6-1, 7-5, 6-4, during the second round on Thursday night at Flushing Meadows.
This is one of the biggest upsets in the Tennis world. Carlos did not have a great start, but he fought back. However, he did not look ready for the tough mental and physical challenge of the court that night.
The 28-year-old, Botic van de Zandschulp, has been considering retiring from the game as he hasn’t played well off late. While 21-year-old Carlos Alcaraz had won 43 of his last 46 major matches. These wins by Alcaraz include the championship matches at the French Open and Wimbledon. However, that didn’t come
“I don’t know what to say right now,” said Alcaraz after the loss. “First of all, he played great. He played really good tennis. I thought he would give me more free points. He didn’t make a lot of mistakes that I thought he was going to make. It was confusing a bit. I didn’t know how to manage that, how to deal with it.”
“I couldn’t increase my level. I think my level stayed the same the whole match,” he continued. “It wasn’t enough to win the match or to give myself the chance to get into the match or try to give myself chances. What can I say? I didn’t feel well hitting the ball. I made a lot of mistakes. When I wanted to come back it was too late.”
Even van de Zandschulp was as stunned as everyone else. “I’m a little bit lost for words,” he said in his post-match interview, “but it has been an incredible evening here.”
This was his first-ever win against a top 10 opponent in a grand slam. It is probably the biggest upset in Tennis history.
