CNN
—

Carlos Alcaraz suffered a shocking defeat in the second round of the US Open on Thursday, losing in three sets to Botic van de Zandschulp.

The Dutchman, who is ranked 74th in the world, defeated the 21-year-old Spaniard in three sets: 6-1, 7-5, 6-4 at the Arthur Ashe Stadium in Flushing Meadows, New York.

The world No. 3, who won an Olympic silver medal in the past two months and took home the Wimbledon trophy, struggled from the start and was unable to recover, making a total of 28 errors by the end.

Van de Zandschulp closed the match with an ace, creating one of the biggest surprises in recent history, achieving his first victory over a top 10 opponent at a major tournament in his career.

The fans gave the winner a standing ovation after the match, while Alcaraz congratulated him and greeted the crowd before leaving the field.

Van de Zandschulp said he was “wordless” during a conversation on ESPN’s post-match broadcast.

“It was an incredible night here,” he said. “For me it was the first time, night session at Arthur Ashe. The crowd was amazing. So thank you for that and for that incredible night.”

Van de Zandschulp indicated that he was nervous when he tried to decide the match.

“I think if you want to beat one of these guys you have to be incredibly calm and keep your head, otherwise they take advantage of you so easily.”

Alcaraz’s 15-match unbeaten run at the US Open is over, with Thursday’s second-round defeat the first of his career since Wimbledon in 2021.

Van de Zandschulp, who has only reached the fourth round of a Grand Slam tournament once in his career, will face 25th-seeded Briton Jack Draper in the third round on Saturday.