Botic van de Zandschulp, the 74th ranked player in the world, has upset Carlos Alcaraz, the favorite to win the US Open. But it wasn't just an upset: van de Zandschulp won in straight sets, 6-1, 7-5, 6-4.
Van de Zandschulp, 28, achieved a highest-ever ranking of 60th in March of 2023. He was considering retirement at the end of the season.
The magnitude of this upset is hard to overstate. Michael Jordan losing a one-on-one against Spike Lee doesn't quite capture it. Alcaraz is the heir apparent in men's tennis, the most likely individual in prognosticators' minds to eclipse Novak Djokovic's record of 24 Grand Slams.
Is this one of the pure one-offs we've seen in tennis history? Soderling-Nadal and Donskoy-Federer come to mind, as does Vesely-Djokovic. But two of three of those matches were in non-Slam tournaments. This was the second round of the US Open, the Slam Alcaraz likely wanted the most this year, given that the man he lost to at the Olympics--Djokovic--is the defending champion.
To underscore the ridiculousness of this upset, Alcaraz won both the French Open and Wimbledon this year.
Van de Zandschulp showed nary a trace of emotion as he played out of his skull. Make no mistake, this was a combination of Van de Zandschulp playing above his historic level while Alcaraz played below his own.
Per statistics from SkySports.com, the statistical story doesn't tell a clear tale. Second serve points won is the only standout category for Van de Zandschulp. The Las Vegas bookies had the match at -10000 for Alcaraz, +1350 for the Dutchman.
Image: sportsire.usatoday.com
If the past is any guide, expect Van de Zandschulp to flame out in the next round. It's very hard to beat a highly ranked player as one who hasn't ever beaten a top-5 player before. The mental part of the game almost always catches up.
Still...the composure Van de Zandshulp showed will have many tennis fans tuning in on Sunday, when he faces 25th seed Jack Draper from Great Britain.
With ice in his veins like Botic showed tonight, who knows?
