Superstars Carlos Alcaraz and Naomi Osaka crash out of US Open in second round

NEW YORK – Former US Open champions and four-time Grand Slam winners Carlos Alcaraz and Naomi Osaka were knocked out of Flushing Meadows on Aug 29, as the final Major of the year lost two of its biggest crowd-pullers.

A tired Alcaraz said he was fighting himself as much as against Botic van de Zandschulp, after the world No. 3 and 2022 winner in New York was stunned by the 74th-ranked Dutchman 6-1, 7-5, 6-4 in the second round.

Osaka, who counts the 2018 and 2020 US Opens among her four Slams, slipped to a 6-3, 7-6 (7-5) loss to Czech Karolina Muchova, the world No. 52.

Alcaraz, 21, had made at least the quarter-finals in his three previous US Open appearances, and this defeat was his earliest at a Slam since a second-round exit at Wimbledon in 2021.

The loss also ended the third seed’s dream of becoming only the third man in the modern era to win the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open in the same season.

“The tennis schedule is so tight. I’ve been playing a lot of matches lately with Roland Garros, with Wimbledon, Olympic Games,” said Alcaraz, who lost a draining Olympic final to Novak Djokovic in Paris just over three weeks ago.

“I took a little break after the Olympic Games. Probably it wasn’t enough. I came here with not as much energy... But I don’t want to put that as excuse.

“Today I was playing against the opponent, and I was playing against myself in my mind. I mean, a lot of emotions that I couldn’t control. It was a roller coaster, in my mind.”

Van de Zandschulp said he was lost for words after only his second career win over a top-five player.

“It was an incredible evening out here on Arthur Ashe,” he said. “I tried to stay calm. You have to keep your head against these guys, otherwise they will take advantage.”

Alcaraz’s fate was sealed when he committed his 27th and final unforced error of the night, as van de Zandschulp pulled off one of the biggest upsets in recent Slam history.

The Dutchman, who had lost his two previous matches with Alcaraz, will next face 25th-seeded Briton Jack Draper.

For Osaka, her comeback from maternity leave remains stalled.

The Japanese star said 2024 is her “learning year” after returning to the Tour, and the former world No. 1 is trying to figure out how to better cope with setbacks after being given a crash course in early Slam exits.

The second round at Flushing Meadows, Wimbledon and Roland Garros was as good as it got this season for the 26-year-old, who exited the Australian Open in the first round.

Osaka, now ranked 88th, missed the 2023 US Open after giving birth but made up for that absence in the first round when she brushed aside 2017 French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko for a first top-10 win in four years.

However, she has now suffered a straight-set loss to 2023 semi-finalist Muchova.

“I do take these losses personally. It’s like a dramatic word, but I feel like my heart dies every time I lose,” she said. “I’ve been trying to be more mature and learn and talk more about them.”

Muchova will meet Russia’s Anastasia Potapova for a last-16 spot.

Alcaraz’s defeat also removed a major title contender from the path of top seed Jannik Sinner, who had been scheduled to meet the Spaniard in the semi-finals.

The Italian won his 50th match of the year when he defeated America’s 49th-ranked Alex Michelsen 6-4, 6-0, 6-2 to make the last 32 for a fourth successive year. The 23-year-old will face Australia’s Christopher O’Connell next.

Women’s world No. 1 Iga Swiatek also charged into the third round, routing 217th-ranked Ena Shibahara of Japan 6-0, 6-1.

Poland’s Swiatek, the 2022 US Open winner seeking to add a second title in New York to her four French Open triumphs, goes on to face 25th seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.

World No. 4 Elena Rybakina, meanwhile, withdrew because of injury. AFP, REUTERS