Carlos Alcaraz’s run at the 2024 US Open came to an end after a surprising 6-1 7-5 6-4 defeat to world No. 74 Botic van de Zandschulp. This loss dashed Alcaraz’s hopes of claiming a calendar year Grand Slam, having already triumphed at the French Open and Wimbledon earlier in the year. Van de Zandschulp’s victory set up a third-round clash with Britain’s Jack Draper.

Alcaraz acknowledged that Van de Zandschulp played with more consistency than he had anticipated, leading to his unexpected loss. The young Spanish star, ranked No. 3 in the world, was not at his best against the lower-ranked opponent. Reflecting on the match, Alcaraz admitted, “I thought he was going to give me more points. I’m going to say more free points. He didn’t make a lot of mistakes that I thought he was going to do. So I was confused a little bit. I didn’t know how to manage that, how to deal with it. I couldn’t increase my level.”

The defeat was a roller coaster of emotions for Alcaraz, who felt that he struggled to maintain his composure during the match. He emphasized the importance of staying calm in a match and focusing on making good decisions. Alcaraz said, “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.”

Despite feeling that his energy levels were not as high as he had hoped, Alcaraz refused to use it as an excuse for his loss. The disappointment was evident as Alcaraz came to terms with his early exit from the tournament.

With the US Open journey cut short for Alcaraz, Van de Zandschulp now looks ahead to his upcoming meeting with Draper in the next round. The Dutch player will aim to build on the momentum from his impressive victory over Alcaraz and continue his run in the tournament.