Botic van de Zandschulp of Netherlands scripted a huge upset on Thursday as he stunned World No. three and the third seed Carlos Alcaraz in the second round of the US Open.
The Dutch produced a clinical effort and thumped the 2022 US Open winner in straight sets 6-1, 7-5, 6-4. Alcaraz's loss also put an end to his hopes of securing a third consecutive Grand Slam title.
Notably, this is Zandschulp's biggest win of his playing career and the World No. 74 is now brimming with supreme confidence.
"I'm a little bit lost for words. It's been an incredible evening, the first night session for me on Arthur Ashe. The crowd was amazing," van de Zandschulp was quoted as saying by ATP.
"I got a lot of confidence from my last match (against Denis Shapovalov). I played really solid and from point one tonight, I believed I could have a chance and you see how it sometimes turns out."
The Dutch revealed that his coach wanted him to showcase as much aggression on the court as possible. He was brilliant at the net and converted 28 out of his 35 net points.
"I was defending well and I think I saw some of the stats: I won an unbelievable amount of points at the net," said van de Zandschulp, who converted 28 of his 35 net points. "My coach wanted me to be a little more aggressive and I think I did it really well today."
Zandschulp revealed that he tried really hard to keep his composure as he knew that it was the only way to pip a champion like Alcaraz.
"Of course, I had some nerves. But if you want to beat one of these guys you have to be unbelievably calm and keep your head there, otherwise they will take advantage," said van de Zandschulp.
