Sensation at the US Open: Alcaraz already falls!
It's a tidal wave that has just swept through New York. It's also one of those stories that only tennis can tell.
In a second-round duel that appeared to be a foregone conclusion, such was the gulf separating Carlos Alcaraz and Bottic Van de Zandschulp, it was finally the world number 74 who prevailed in less than 2h30 of play (6-1, 7-5, 6-4).
Although the El Palmar prodigy didn't have the match of his life, appearing at times a little sluggish on court (21 winners, 27 unforced errors), most of the credit goes to the Dutchman, who produced an immense match (24 winners, 79% of points won on first serve, 7 successful breaks).
The 28-year-old got off to a thunderous start, taking advantage of a Spaniard who clearly missed the beginning of the match, and he never let up thereafter, proving to be relentlessly efficient.
Far from dawdling, he perfectly resisted Alcaraz's awakening to break at the best of times, before closing out the next game in the second and third sets.
What just happened on Arthur Ashe Stadium is quite unreal when you remember the catastrophic state of confidence in which Van de Zandschulp arrived.
Setting foot in New York with a dismal record of just 5 wins on the main circuit since the Dubai tournament in February, he defied all the odds.
Worse still, he had confided that he was thinking of retiring after being swept aside in the first round of the French Open by Fognini (6-1, 6-1, 7-5).
Everything can change very quickly in tennis, as this result has just forcefully demonstrated.
On cloud nine, the former world No. 22 will challenge Draper for a place in the last 16.
