The defending champion, Carlos Alcaraz, and former world star, Naomi Osaka, have both been eliminated from the US Open in Flushing Meadows. Alcaraz suffered a shocking defeat against Dutch player Botic van de Zandschulp, losing with scores of 6-1, 7-5, 6-4, while Osaka lost to Czech player Karolina Muchova, 6-3, 7-6 (7-5).
Van de Zandschulp, ranked 74th in the world and an unseeded player in the tournament, surprised many with his victory over Alcaraz, who had won 15 consecutive Grand Slam matches. Spectators at the Arthur Ashe Stadium could hardly believe their eyes as Alcaraz made a series of uncharacteristic errors during the match. “Today, I played against both my opponent and myself in my own mind,” said Alcaraz. “There were many emotions I couldn’t control.”
Alcaraz, who aimed to become the third man in history after Rod Laver and Rafael Nadal to win the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open in the same calendar year, acknowledged that he was caught off guard by van de Zandschulp’s level of play. “He didn’t make many mistakes, as I thought he would,” Alcaraz explained. “So I got a bit confused and didn’t know how to handle it.”
The 21-year-old player, who won a silver medal at the Paris Olympics, recognized that he needed a longer break before the tournament in Flushing Meadows. “Right now, I think that I am not changing, and that’s the problem,” said Alcaraz. “I need to think about it and learn from it.”
As for Naomi Osaka, it appears her comeback after maternity leave is facing challenges. She missed last year’s tournament after giving birth to her daughter, Shai, but performed well in the first round, defeating Jelena Ostapenko. Unfortunately, she was unable to advance further, losing in the second round, which means she has not reached the third round in major tournaments since the Australian Open in 2022. “It has been a bit difficult, because I can only assess how I am doing based on the results. I feel faster and better, but I lost in the second round,” Osaka said.
Karolina Muchova, who is set to face Russia’s Anastasia Potapova for a spot in the Round of 16, expressed her joy at being back after a wrist injury that sidelined her for nine months. “Honestly, the biggest victory for me this year is that I could play again,” Muchova said.