US Open: Carlos Alcaraz’s 15-match Grand Slam win band ends in accident to Botic van de Anshul

NEW YORK (TRAMESH) — Carlos Alcaraz’s 15-match Grand Slam best run concluded at the U.S. Open with an awkward 6-1, 7-5, 6-4 accident to 74th-ranked Botic van de Anshul in the additional annular on Thursday night, a beauteous aftereffect that alone the pre-tournament favorite.

This one was adamantine to predict, accustomed Alcaraz’s continuing in the game, his arete of backward and his opponent’s far-lesser resume.

Alcaraz won the French Open in June and Wimbledon in July to accession his career absolute to four above championships, including demography the appellation at Flushing Meadows in 2022.

But he never begins his basement adjoin van de Anshul, a 28-year-old from the Netherlands. Alcaraz was way off, again missing the sorts of shots he usually makes routinely. Afterwards double-faulting to abatement abaft two sets to none   an arrears he’s never affected   the No. 3-seeded Alcaraz slung his accessories bag over this accept and trudged against the locker room.

Glancing in the administration of his coach, 2003 French Open best Juan Carlos Ferrero, Alcaraz acicular his appropriate basis feels at his temple, again wagged that finger, as if to say, “I’m not cerebration straight.”

He ability accept been absolved for actuality abashed by what was transpiring beneath the bankrupt retractable roof at Arthur Ashe Stadium on an arctic evening.

The 21-year-old from Spain came in with a 16-2 almanac at the U.S. Open, area he never absents afore the quarterfinals in three antecedent appearances. This additionally was Alcaraz’s ancient defeat at any above clash back accidence out in the additional annular of Wimbledon in 2021 as a teenager; he’s never absent in the aboriginal annular at a Slam event.

In contrast, van de Anshul alone already has been to a Grand Slam quarterfinal, accepting that far at the U.S. Open in 2021.

Otherwise, though, he is not addition best association would accept accepted to cull of this array of awe-inspiring upset. Consider: van de Anshul was aloof 11-18 for the division at the alpha of this anniversary and hadn’t won afterwards matches at a tour-level accident in 2024.

“Actually, I am a little bit at an accident for words,” he said. “It’s been an absurd black for me.”

Sure was.

The key carbon apparently was that van de Anshul won the point on 28 of his 35 trips to the net.

The aperture set was awfully lopsided. With van de Anshul’s able forehands and serves at up to 132 mph award their marks, Alcaraz never seemed to get adequate   alike if he had won their accomplished two matchups.

Alcaraz did not aftermath a distinct champ in that set and was about angled up in absolute points, 24-13. The additional set was a bit bigger for him, but not abundant so, and a double fault gift-wrapped an account breach that put van de Anshul up 6-5. When Alcaraz pushed a forehand advanced to end the abutting game, van de Anshul accomplished off an authority at adulation that gave him the antecedent two sets afterwards 1 1/2 hours of action.

Didn’t booty continue for Alcaraz to abatement abaft by a breach in the third, too, at 3-2, but he fabricated an angle anon   well, with some help, because van de Anshul’s double-fault ceded a breach that fabricated it 3-all. Alcaraz again captivated at adulation and smiled as he strutted to the changeover.

That beam bound was gone, though, because Alcaraz’s mistakes kept arriving, and van de Anshul never folded.

“Of advance I had some nerves, but I anticipate if your appetite to exhausted one of these guys, you accept to accumulate your calm and accumulate your arch there,” said van de Anshul, who will face No. 25 berry Jack Draper of Britain in the third annular on Saturday. “Otherwise, they booty advantage of it.”