NEW YORK (AP) — Carlos Alcaraz’s 15-match Grand Slam winning streak was snapped Thursday night by a lackluster 6-1, 7-5, 6-4 loss to No. 74 Botic van de Zandschulp in the second round of the U.S. Open.
Alcaraz had had a brilliant summer: victories at the French Open and then Wimbledon in July, plus a silver medal at the Paris Olympics.
At 21, the Spaniard had already racked up four titles at the major events. Having won in New York in 2022, he was the big favourite to add another trophy to his collection.
But he was never able to match up to van de Zandschulp, a 28-year-old Dutchman.
“It was a great night for me,” van de Zandschulp said. “I defended well… if you want to beat one of these players, you have to stay calm.”
Alcaraz was light years away from his best, making all kinds of mistakes.
After a double fault to fall two sets down, a deficit he has never been able to reverse, the third seed picked up his racket bag and headed to the locker room confused by the situation.
