In one of the biggest upsets of the US Open, third seed and current world number three, Carlos Alcaraz, was beaten in the second round by Botic van de Zandschulp, who is ranked number 74 in the world. The Dutch player lived up to the billing by producing one of the biggest upsets in the tournament by beating the Spanish sensation in three sets 6-4,6-4,6-4.

Many had tipped Alcaraz to win the title and he seemed to be out of his form from the onset of the match. The 20-year-old, who was considered unarguably the best in this tournament, made as many as 27 unforced errors and has a total of 21 winners in the match. That was not the normally aggressive game that he plays and he never seemed to get in the mood that has made him such a threat on the tour.

Van de Zandschulp, on the other hand, was brilliant or rather better than he has ever been in his career playing the match of his life. The 28-year-old Dutchman, who had threatened to retire from tennis earlier in the year, was outstanding in the way he composed himself and outplayed an obviously endearing Alcaraz. After the game, van de Zandschulp was lost for words, saying, “Honestly, I am a bit at a loss for words.” ‘Much much has happened for me tonight said the lady.’

This turn of event shakes the seedings in the men’s section creates a new dimension of possibilities in other competitors. While Alcaraz’s premature eliminiation takes one of the biggest checks off Djokovic and Medvedev’s lists of dangers, they are currently considered even stronger contenders to win the championship.

After the match, Alcaraz posited all the blame on himself, stating the match was “a fight with myself, mentally.” He also said that he struggled to understand how to beat van de Zandschulp because the latter maintained a high degree of accuracy without making mistakes.

The loss further puts a worrying sequence in the tennis career of Alcaraz, who has only won three out of his last four matches after Olympic Series. Concerns over his physical fitness and his mental state continue to emerge, with people doubting the young star may just be too tired in dealing with the pressure of a huge career and massive schedule in one of the billing sports out there.

With the exit of Alcaraz, the questions will shift to how the rest of the field is going to react to the early exit of the Young Spanish star. The withdrawal of a Spanish star gives low-ranked players a fighting chance to cause upsets and even become grand slam champions.

It was the biggest win of his career for van de Zandschulp, and now he is setting up the chance to play 25th seed Jack Draper in the third round. The Dutchman will be out looking to sustain the upbeat form and carry on his magical run at Flushing Meadows.

While the tennis world still tries to come to terms with this incredible upset, the US Open will serve up even more action and entertainment in the next few days. One of the bettors’ favorites was knocked out of the game in Group Stage, which means that the tournament has no clear frontrunner; many unbelievable moments and outstanding performances await fans in the upcoming rounds of the competition.