Carlos Alcaraz, the reigning champion of this year’s first two Grand Slams, and Naomi Osaka have both been eliminated from the US Open at Flushing Meadows.
Alcaraz suffered a surprising defeat, losing 6-1, 7-5, 6-4 to Dutch player Botic van de Zandschulp on Thursday. Meanwhile, Osaka fell to Czech Karolina Muchova, ranked No. 52 in the world, with a score of 6-3, 7-6 (7-5).
Van de Zandschulp, unseeded and currently ranked No. 74, was a significant underdog against Alcaraz, who had previously won 15 consecutive Grand Slam matches. Fans at Arthur Ashe Stadium were left astonished as Alcaraz struggled with uncharacteristic errors throughout the match.
“Today I was playing against my opponent and also against myself in my mind,” Alcaraz explained. “I had a lot of emotions that I couldn’t control.”
Alcaraz was aiming to become only the third man in history, after Rod Laver and Rafael Nadal, to secure the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open in the same calendar year.
“I was leading in some points, but then I lost others. It was a rollercoaster in my mind,” the world number three shared.
He acknowledged that van de Zandschulp surprised him with his performance. “He didn’t make as many mistakes as I anticipated,” Alcaraz admitted. “That threw me off a bit, and I didn’t know how to handle it.”
Reflecting on his inability to take control during the match, the 21-year-old said, “I’m realizing that I’m not changing, and that’s the issue. I need to think about it and learn from this.”
After winning silver at the Paris Olympics by losing to Novak Djokovic, Alcaraz mentioned that he needed a longer break before participating at Flushing Meadows.
Van de Zandschulp, who considered retirement just months ago due to various injuries, stated, “I’m still processing this win. It might hit me more emotionally in a few hours or tomorrow.”
Osaka’s return from maternity leave has also hit a roadblock. She missed last year’s tournament after the birth of her daughter, Shai, but made a strong comeback in the first round by defeating Jelena Ostapenko, securing her first top-10 victory in four years.
However, she faced a setback on Thursday with her loss to Muchova, marking her third consecutive failure to reach the third round in major tournaments since the 2022 Australian Open.
“It’s been a bit challenging since I can only evaluate my performance based on results. I feel faster and better, yet I lost in the second round, which is tough,” said Osaka.
Muchova will next face Russia’s Anastasia Potapova for a chance to advance to the last 16. “Honestly, this year the biggest achievement for me is that I could play again,” Muchova commented, reflecting on her return after suffering a wrist injury at last year’s US Open that sidelined her for nine months.