US Open 2024: Alcaraz's poor performance continues, knocked out of US Open after losing in second round

World number three and former champion Carlos Alcaraz suffered an upset LOSS in Round 2 of the US Open late Thursday night at the hands of Dutch player Botic van de Zandschulp. The 21-year-old Alcaraz produced his worst performance at Flushing Meadows in four successive years in the 6-1, 7-5, 6-4 defeat to the world number 74 Dutchman.

It was the No. 1 seed's first second-round defeat in his first-ever second-round defeat at a major since Wimbledon 2021. At Wimbledon 2021, then-world no. 75 Alcaraz lost to second seed Daniil Medvedev. The 15-time tour-level titlist committed 27 unforced errors-12 of which came on his forehand-several missed from great distance.

The second game of the opening set had two really long rallies comprising several net rushes, dizzy lobs-a tweener among them, and when it finally fell to Van de Zandschulp to serve, he struck on his first break point against Alcaraz and consolidated it for a quick 4-1 lead. Down, Van de Zandschulp kept his nerves and won the first set 6-1.

Alcaraz held his serve to start the second set. The Dutchman responded in a similar vein. However, the Spaniard was unable to inflict any damage upon his opponent. He lost serve once again with 12 unforced errors and just three winners till that stage of the match.

It wasn't until the 30-minute mark that Alcaraz finally got the break to set the second set at 2-2. A bit up and down, serving at 5-5, he hit three forehand errors and a double fault to lose his serve. The Dutchman held his serve and won the second set 7-5.

After being down two sets, Alcaraz lost serve and fell behind 3-2 in the third. But then Van de Zandschulp failed to consolidate the break, hitting a double fault - his seventh in the match - and losing the game.

With the set at 4-4, the Dutchman hit an ace and again put pressure on the Alcaraz serve. A little over two hours and 15 minutes into the match, it was time for the Dutchman to serve it out; in a minute, he was serving at 40-0. That serve was not returned, and Van de Zandschulp won the set 6-4 and the match.

By beating World No. 3, Van de Zandschulp secured the highest-ranked win of his career. Alcaraz won the title here as a teenager in 2022 and had reached at least the quarterfinals every year since his 2021 debut. Last year he reached the semifinals as the No. 1 seed at age 20-the youngest top seed in tournament history. The 28-year-old Dutchman has enjoyed strong previous performances in New York, battling through qualifying to a quarterfinal in 2021. He will encounter No. 25 seed Jack Draper of England in the next round.