Reigning Wimbledon and French Open champion Carlos Alcaraz suffered the biggest upset of the 2024 US Open so far as he lost in straight sets to the Netherlands' Botic van de Zandschulp.
The 2022 Flushing Meadows winner had survived a brief scare against Li Tu in round one but was still the firm favourite to get the job done against Van de Zandschulp, who is ranked 74th in the world.
However, in one of the most chastening defeats of Alcaraz's embryonic career, the Spaniard lost 1-6 5-7 4-6 to Van de Zandschulp, who ended the 21-year-old's 15-match winning streak at major tournaments.
During the two-hour and 19-minute battle, an off-colour Alcaraz ceded nine break points to Van de Zandschulp - six of which the Dutchman converted - while hitting just 21 winners compared to 27 unforced errors, including several uncharacteristic mistakes on his forehand.
Speaking in his post-match press conference, Alcaraz admitted that he was struggling mentally and had "gone backwards" in terms of how he approaches matches, saying: "I feel that, instead of taking steps forward, I've gone backward in terms of mindset. I don't know why," as quoted by Punto de Break.
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Jack Draper, Dan Evans through as Katie Boulter knocked out
"I came from a spectacular summer, saying that mentally I had taken steps forward, but I get to this part of the tour, and I take steps back. Mentally, I'm not well, not strong. This is a problem.
"Right now, I don't want to say anything. I want to talk to my people and see what steps we take next. I hadn't thought about all the demanding matches being so close together and how that could affect me."
While Alcaraz packed his bags and left New York, British duo Jack Draper and Dan Evans both advanced to round three, the former marching to a dominant 6-4 6-2 6-2 victory over Facundo Diaz Acosta.
As well as winning a staggering 89% of points on his first serve, Draper saved all four break points that his Argentine foe brought up and now faces Alcaraz's conqueror Van de Zandschulp for a spot in the last 16.
Evans - fresh from beating Karen Khachanov in the longest US Open singles match of all time - also strode to his own straight-sets win over Argentinian opposition, overcoming Mariano Navone 6-4 6-4 6-3 6-3 to reach the third round for the fourth successive year.
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Evans's third-round opponent will be 10th seed Alex de Minaur, whose girlfriend Katie Boulter could not replicate her compatriots' success, suffering a surprise 5-7 5-7 loss to Spain's Jessica Bouzas Maneiro.
Elsewhere, Iga Swiatek and Jannik Sinner managed to avoid the same fate as Alcaraz, crushing Ena Shibahara and Alex Michelsen respectively in straight sets, while Naomi Osaka lost 3-6 6-7[5] to Karolina Muchova.
Fourth seed Elena Rybakina withdrew from her clash with Jessika Ponchet due to injury, though, while teenage phenom Mirra Andreeva was crushed 1-6 4-6 by Ashlyn Krueger.
Who is playing at the US Open today?
Novak Djokovic headlines Friday's evening session as the 24-time major winner takes on Alexei Popyrin in the third round, while women's second seed Aryna Sabalenka pits her wits against Ekaterina Alexandrova at the Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Reigning women's champion Coco Gauff also faces a stern test of her title credentials against Ukraine's Elina Svitolina, and there is also a mouthwatering all-American affair between Frances Tiafoe and Ben Shelton.
Ben Knapton
