Botic van de Zandschulp found himself on the verge of a remarkable upset at the US Open, taking a commanding two-set lead over world No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz. The Dutchman won the first set 6-1 and edged the second 7-5, positioning himself for one of the tournament’s biggest surprises.
The 28-year-old van de Zandschulp, known for his aggressive play, took control of the match early on. He disrupted Alcaraz’s rhythm with a mix of powerful baseline shots and strategic net play. Van de Zandschulp, who reached the quarterfinals at Flushing Meadows in 2021, came out firing from the start. His relentless pressure forced Alcaraz into errors, and the Spaniard couldn’t find his footing in the first set, failing to hit a single winner.
Alcaraz, fresh off winning titles at the French Open and Wimbledon, came into this match aiming for his third consecutive Grand Slam title. The Spaniard also held a 2-0 head-to-head record against van de Zandschulp in the Lexus ATP Head2Head series, making the Dutchman’s performance even more surprising.
Van de Zandschulp’s relentless play continued in the second set, where he matched Alcaraz shot for shot before breaking late to clinch the set. This victory would mark van de Zandschulp’s highest-ranked win of his career if he can close it out, as Alcaraz is currently ranked No. 3 in the world by the ATP.
Alcaraz hasn’t lost in the second round of a Grand Slam since Wimbledon 2021, where he fell to Daniil Medvedev. The winner of this match will advance to the third round, where they will face 25th seed Jack Draper.
As the match progressed, van de Zandschulp seemed increasingly confident, while Alcaraz struggled to find answers. With the crowd buzzing in anticipation, all eyes were on the Dutchman as he aimed to complete the upset and secure his place in the tournament’s history.
