Instant Reaction: Carlos Alcaraz stunned in second round of US Open by Botic van de Zandschulp

NEW YORK—In a bonafide stunner, 74th-ranked Botic van de Zandschulp has defeated four-time Grand Slam champion Carlos Alcaraz in the second round of the US Open, 6-1, 7-5, 6-4. The 21-year-old Spaniard was attempting to become just the third men's player in the Open Era to win Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the US Open in the same season.

Instead, Alcaraz littered the Arthur Ashe Stadium court in errors—27 in all, against 21 winners. van de Zandschulp, who reached the US Open quarterfinal as a qualifier in 2021, broke serve six times and won in 2:19. The Spaniard has yet to come back from two sets down to win a match.

The TENNIS.com editorial team is here with instant reaction:

STEVE TIGNOR: In his first service game, at 30-30, Alcaraz ran back for a lob and tried a tweener lob that went just wide. The shot brought the crowd to its feet right away, but it also put Alcaraz down a break point to start the match. I said to myself, “Someone’s feeling confident about winning tonight.”

Maybe too confident?

Very soon, Alcaraz wasn’t feeling quite as sure himself. Van de Zandschulp took advantage of that showman’s shot to break, then hold for 3-0, then break again and win the first set 6-1, before Alcaraz quite knew what had hit him. I think there may have been a little overconfidence from the Spaniard to start, and a little bit of shock, and panic, when van de Zandschulp took such a commanding lead.

But I think on balance, in the end, you have to give the Dutchman the credit, rather than Alcaraz the blame. Van de Zandschulp hit heavy balls that powered through the fast courts. He took the initiative in rallies without being reckless. And, maybe most impressively, he moved and anticipated and defended every bit as well as his opponent.

Each time Alcaraz loosened up and threatened to make a move, VDZ shut it down within two games. You can say Alcaraz was still not fully recovered from the Olympics, but you can’t say that’s why he lost. His opponent was the biggest reason tonight.

DAVID KANE: In the words of broadcasting legend Dick Enberg, “Oh my!” I don’t think there was a soul on the grounds who saw this coming, least of all van de Zandschulp, who hadn’t been past the second round of a Grand Slam tournament in over two years.

Quite simply, Alcaraz has not looked comfortable on court since taking home the silver medal at the Summer Olympic Games. His Cincinnati Open outing was disastrous, yet many including Alcaraz were confident he didn’t need matches to catch fire in Flushing Meadows. It turns out he may have, but take nothing away from the phenomenal summer the Spaniard enjoyed, winning back-to-back majors to put himself an Australian Open away from a career Grand Slam.

There were those who doubted Alcaraz coming into that excellent stretch; doubt him again at your peril.

ED MCGROGAN: Who showed less emotion Thursday night: van de Zandschulp, or Alcaraz's player box? The difference, of course, was that the former was stoic as could be while staging one of the biggest upsets in recent memory; the latter was simply in stunned disbelief. One noted tennis reporter called coach Juan Carlos Ferrero "comatose."

But you can understand it, as Alcaraz failed to resemble the elite champion he is in nearly any way on Thursday night. He ends his Grand Slam season with more major titles win than match victories at the US Open. van de Zandschulp, meanwhile, has won back-to-back matches for the very first time this season. Yet, somehow, he served this one out at love. Emotion: overrated?

STEPHANIE LIVAUDAIS: A second-round exit is an absolute shocker for 2022 US Open champion Carlos Alcaraz, but the signs were there if you looked.

The 21-year-old seemed emotionally out of sorts in Cincinnati, where he smashed a racquet during his defeat to Gael Monfils—what he called “the worst loss” of his career. That tournament was supposed to be a springboard for Alcaraz to shake off the disappointment of his Olympic Games heartbreak, where he broke down after losing the gold-medal match to Novak Djokovic. Neither of these moments inspired the mental resilience needed for Alcaraz to succeed at the cauldron of intensity that is New York and the US Open. And indeed, throughout the match against van de Zandschulp, the Spaniard often turned to his team and pointed to his head before gesturing to the ground—indicating that his head was just not in the game tonight.