New York (AFP)
The unknown Dutchman Bottic van de Zandschlub, ranked 74th in the world, pulled off a “heavy-caliber” surprise, with his shocking victory over the second-ranked Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz, 6-1, 7-5, 6-4, in the second round of the US Flushing Meadows Championship, the last of the four Grand Slam tournaments in tennis.
Alcaraz had reached at least the quarter-finals in his three previous appearances in New York, winning the title in 2022, and his exit at Flushing Meadows is his earliest since losing in the second round at Wimbledon in 2021.
“I can’t find the right words to express how I feel at this moment,” said the winner. “I had a great evening in my first night match at Arthur Ashe Stadium.”
“I tried to keep my cool, you have to keep your cool when facing this type of player,” he added.
On the other hand, Alcaraz considered that he is not in the best mental state at the moment and said, “I was playing against my opponent, and against myself mentally, I did not know how to manage the match, I was not able to raise my level throughout the match and this was not enough for me to win the match.”
“I don’t know what to say now,” Alcaraz said. “First, I think he’s a great player. He didn’t make as many mistakes as I expected, so I was a bit confused. I couldn’t deal with this information.”
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