The Spaniard goes in search of his third Grand Slam of the year at NYC’s Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.
Carlos Alcaraz was given a scare by Li Tu in the first round of the US Open but managed to ease his way past the Australian with a 6-2, 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 victory.
“Obvious he surprised me a little bit,” Alcaraz said after the match. “He started the match a little nervous but after the first set he grew up, and he started to play great tennis. Now I’m going to follow him and his results because I’m pretty sure I’m going to be seeing him around very, very soon.”
The Spaniard is looking to bounce back from disappointment in the final of the singles tournament at the Paris Olympics, where he lost to Novak Djokovic. Alcaraz will face Dutch player Botic van de Zandschulp in the next round.
Who is Botic van de Zandschulp, Alcaraz’s next opponent?
Alcaraz needed four sets to get past Li Tu in the first round but his next opponent, Botic van de Zandschulp, managed a straight-sets victory over Denis Shapovalov in his opening match in New York City.
The Dutchman is currently placed No. 74 in the ATP rankings, down from a career-best rank of 22 in August 2022. The 28-year-old has enjoyed success at the US Open in the past.
His big breakthrough came in 2021 when he reached the quarter-finals at the US Open, becoming only the third qualifier in tournament history to make it to the final eight. En route to the quarters he defeated world No. 11 and eight seed Casper Ruud before losing to eventual winner Daniil Medvedev. Despite that defeat, Van de Zandschulp was the only player to take a set off Medvedev in the entire tournament.
How many Grand Slams has Carlos Alcaraz won?
Despite still being just 21 years old, Carlos Alcaraz has already won four Grand Slam titles. The US Open was his first in 2022, and he followed that up with a Wimbledon triumph in 2023. He added the French Open in June 2024 and went on to retain his Wimbledon title the following month.
Alcaraz looks to pick up his third Grand Slam title of the year in NYC and he could well face a rematch of a very familiar opponent in the final, assuming he makes it that far.
Novak Djokovic is on the other side of the bracket to Alcaraz, meaning that the two men can only meet in the final. The two players have already met twice in major finals this year; Alcaraz winning at Wimbledon but Djokovic getting revenge at the Olympics. Will we see another memorable meeting between the pair at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Sunday, September 8? You wouldn’t rule it out.