US Open 2024: Carlos Alcaraz, Naomi Osaka crash out

Aug. 30, 2024, 6:05 a.m.

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The US Open, the year's final Grand Slam tournament, saw the exits of former champions Carlos Alcaraz and Naomi Osaka on Thursday, losing two of its most popular players.

Alcaraz, the world number three and the 2022 US Open champion, was unexpectedly defeated by Dutch world number 74 Botic van de Zandschulp, 6-1, 7-5, 6-4.

Osaka, a four-time Grand Slam winner including the 2018 and 2020 US Open titles, was eliminated in a tight match by 52nd-ranked Czech Karolina Muchova, losing 6-3, 7-6 (7/5).

Advertisement Alcaraz had made at least the quarter-finals in his three previous appearances in New York. Thursday’s defeat was his earliest at a Grand Slam since a second round exit at Wimbledon in 2021.

The defeat ended his hopes of becoming only the third man in the modern era to win the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open in the same year.

“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 Olympics 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. Probably I came here with not as much energy as I thought that I was going to come. But I don’t want to put that as excuse.”

‘Incredible evening’

Van de Zandschulp said he was speechless after his second career win against a top-five player.

“It was an incredible evening out here in my first time in the night session on Arthur Ashe,” he said.

“I tried to stay calm. You have to keep your head against these guys otherwise they will take advantage.”

He secured two breaks in the initial set, establishing his dominance before a stunned audience.

He held a break advantage in the second and third sets, forcing Alcaraz to react defensively before relinquishing his hard-fought lead.

His fate was sealed when he committed his 27th and final unforced error of the match, allowing van de Zandschulp to achieve one of the most significant upsets in recent Grand Slam history.

Advertisement The Dutch player, having lost his previous two encounters with Alcaraz, will next face 25th-seeded Jack Draper.

Former champion Naomi Osaka was eliminated from the US Open in the second round by Karolina Muchova. Osaka's return to tennis after her maternity leave remains stalled.

She missed last year’s tournament after giving birth to daughter Shai but made up for that absence in the first round when she brushed aside Jelena Ostapenko for a first top 10 win in four yeats.

However, on Thursday, the 26-year-old lost in straight sets to Muchova, who reached the semi-finals in 2023. This result means Osaka will miss the third round of a major tournament for the first time since the 2022 Australian Open.

Osaka had three set points in the second set before an uncontrolled forehand shot gave her Czech opponent the win.

Advertisement “It’s been a little difficult because obviously I can only gauge how I’m doing by results. I feel faster. I feel better, but I lost in the second round. So it’s a little rough,” said Osaka.

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

“Honestly this year the biggest win for me is that I could play again,” said Muchova who picked up a wrist injury at last year’s US Open which sidelined her for nine months.

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

Advertisement World number one Sinner 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 Italian unleashed 28 winners and broke serve eight times. He will face Australia’s Christopher O’Connell for a place in the last 16.

Women’s world number one Iga Swiatek charged into the third round, routing 217th-ranked Ena Shibahara of Japan 6-0, 6-1 to record her 55th match win of 2024.

Poland’s Swiatek, the 2022 US Open winner who is seeking to add a second title in New York to her four French Open triumphs, overwhelmed the 26-year-old qualifier, who was in the main draw of a Grand Slam for the first time, in just 65 minutes.

Advertisement She will now face the 25th seed, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, who made it to the quarter-finals in New York 13 years ago.

Rybakina withdraws

Swiatek then received news that her likely semi-final opponent, Elena Rybakina, had to pull out of the competition before her second round match against 143rd-ranked French qualifier Jessika Ponchet.

Rybakina issued a statement saying she was forced to withdraw “because of my injuries”.

Karolina Pliskova, the 2016 US Open finalist, was forced to withdraw from her match against fifth-seeded Jasmine Paolini after only three points due to a left ankle injury.

Fourth seed and 2021 champion Daniil Medvedev defeated Hungary’s Fabian Marozsan in straight sets.