Botic Van de Zandschulp, unknown to the general public, ranked 117th in the world, surprised by qualifying for the quarterfinals of the United States Open by eliminating Diego Schwartzman 6-3, 6-4, 5-7, 5-7, 6-1, Sunday in New York.
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The 25-year-old Dutchman became only the third player from qualifying to reach the quarter-finals in the history of this grand slam tournament after 4:19 hours of play.
Before eliminating No. 11 seeded Schwartzman, Van de Zandschulp also surprised No. 8 of Norway’s Casper Ruud in four sets in the second round.
Schwartzman, who faced him for the first time, was often overwhelmed by winning shots (53 against 30) from his opponent who was very effective on the fly.
The surprise guest of the quarter-finals will have a mountain in front of him on Tuesday, as his opponent will be world No.2 Daniil Medvedev, a finalist in New York in 2019.
The serious contender for the title qualified for the quarter-finals by easily dismissing the Briton Daniel Evans (27th) 6-3, 6-4, 6-3.
As in the three previous rounds, the Russian took less than two hours to impose his law, facing an opponent he was meeting for the first time.
For his part, Quebecer Félix Auger-Aliassime will try to reach the quarter-finals of the United States Open for the first time in his career in the evening.
He will face local favorite, American Frances Tiafoe, on the prestigious Arthur-Ashe court. The two players are good friends.
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