Zandschulp, on the verge of quitting tennis, upsets Alcaraz

Botic van de Zandschulp gave himself to the end of the year to turn things around after foot injuries left him contemplating retirement but after beating Carlos Alcaraz at the US Open it is safe to say he will not hang up his racket anytime soon.

The world No. 74 outclassed third seed Alcaraz 6-1 7-5 6-4 under the lights at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Thursday to move past the second round of a Grand Slam for the first time since mid-2022.

It was the biggest win of the 28-year old’s career and came against an opponent who had won back-to-back Grand Slams and was on a 15-match winning streak at the majors.


“Maybe I’m still processing it,” Van de Zandschulp said shortly after his stunning win over the 2022 champion. “Maybe in a couple of hours or tomorrow I feel a little bit more emotional with what happened tonight.”

Van de Zandschulp bruised a bone in his left foot last year and later tore ankle ligaments, before dealing with an infection on his right foot. He began questioning his future in the sport after a first-round defeat at the French Open in May. “At the time I said it, I was thinking about it. It was just more the way things were going,” said Van de Zandschulp, who was ranked 115th in April.

“I got injured last year. Still had some troubles with the injury from last year. That was for me like, if I have to keep playing with the pain I had, then there was a chance maybe I would stop playing. “Of course, I would give myself to the end of the year and see how everything was progressing. Yeah, of course, there was a serious thought.” The Dutchman faces Briton Jack Draper in the third round.

Osaka falls to Muchova
Naomi Osaka’s return to the US Open ended in the second round on Thursday, but the two-time champion said she felt “grateful” as she departed in the wake of a straight-sets loss to Karolina Muchova. “It was really fun,” Osaka said after falling 6-3, 7-6 (7/5) to the 52nd-ranked Czech under the lights on Arthur Ashe Stadium. “I felt very grateful that there were so many people cheering. I missed it a lot.” Japan’s Osaka won the title in 2018 and 2020 but missed last year’s edition after the birth of her daughter Shai. She has been unable to build momentum in her comeback, and her f irst round win over Jelena Ostapenko was her first in four years over a top-10 player.