Unknown U.S. Open star produces 'unbelievable' shock by destroying Carlos Alcaraz

Carlos Alcaraz crashed out of the U.S. Open after suffering one of the biggest shocks in tournament history as his hopes of a third Grand Slam this year were KO'd by Botic van De Zandschulp.

World No.3 Alcaraz came into the tournament having triumphed at the French Open and Wimbledon but was beaten remarkably by the world No.74. Van De Zandschulp produced the result of his life to win 6-1 7-5 6-4 in front of a stunned Arthur Ashe crowd.

The Dutchman, previously ranked as high as 22 in the world, was helped considerably by an erratic and error-strewn performance from Alcaraz.

“I am a little bit lost for words, it has been an incredible evening for me,” De Zandschulp, who had never beaten a top-10 player at a grand slam, said. “It’s an unbelievable night.

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“I got a lot of confidence from the last match. From point one I believed I had a chance and you can see how it sometimes turns out. I had some nerves but if you want to beat one of these guys you have to be calm and keep your head otherwise they can take advantage.”

The Dutchman dropped just one game in a shocking first set before a clutch break at the back end of the second set put him in total control.

When Alcaraz overturned an early break in the third set and held to go 4-3, the Spaniard began smiling and interacting as if the scoreline was in his favor. Was a comeback on? The answer, was no. De Zandschulp rallied, winning the final three games as the 28-year-old produced an all-time great shock.

Alcaraz said: “It was a fight against myself, in my mind during the match. In tennis, you are playing against someone who wants the same as you, to win the match, and you have to be as calm as you can just to think better in the match and try to do good things.

“Today I was playing against the opponent, and I was playing against myself. I mean, I had a lot of emotions that I couldn’t control.

“The tennis schedule is so tight. I’ve been playing a lot of matches lately, you know, with Roland Garros, with Wimbledon, Olympic Games. I took a little break after the Olympic Games. I thought it was enough. It was really helpful for me. Probably it wasn’t enough.”

Jack Draper will have been an interested observer as he was due to meet Alcaraz in Saturday’s third round, but now the British No1's path to the latter stages of the tournament has opened up.

Then of course, there's Novak Djokovic, as he aims for a record-breaking 25th grand slam. Alcaraz's exit may just invigorate the Serbian's challenge.