NEW YORK : Former champion Carlos Alcaraz was dumped out of the U.S. Open in a stunning straight-sets defeat by world number 74 Botic van de Zandschulp on Thursday, while top seeds Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek moved on to the third round with little fuss.
Spanish third seed Alcaraz was fully expected to extend his 15-match winning streak at the Grand Slams but the Wimbledon and French Open champion got off to a horrible start and never recovered, going down 6-1 7-5 6-4 in the second round.Van de Zandschulp, the first Dutchman to defeat a player in the top three at a major since Richard Krajicek beat Pete Sampras in the 1996 Wimbledon quarters, will next play Britain's Jack Draper. "It was a fight against myself, you know, in my mind during the match.
In tennis you are playing against someone that wants the same as you," said Alcaraz. "Today I was playing against the opponent, and I was playing against myself."There was far less drama earlier in the day at Arthur Ashe Stadium, where Poland's Swiatek swatted aside Japanese qualifier Ena Shibahara 6-0 6-1 in a little over an hour.
She plays unseeded Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova next.Australian Open winner Sinner was similarly untroubled in dispatching American Alex Michelsen 6-4 6-0 6-2, taking just 99 minutes to complete his ATP Tour-leading 30th hardcourt win of the year.