But against world number 74 Van de Zandschulp, who won 6-1 7-5 6-4 for the highest-ranked victory of his career, the Spaniard never recovered from a shaky start.
Alcaraz’s 15-match winning streak at Grand Slams is ended by the loss.
“I believe that throughout the entire match, my performance remained constant, and it was not sufficient to win, give myself a chance to enter the match, or try to give myself opportunities,” Alcaraz stated.
“I felt unwell when I struck the ball. I believe I made a great deal of errors. It was already too late when I decided to return, or at least thought I would.”
Throughout the game, the 21-year-old committed 27 unintentional mistakes, compared to Van de Zandchulp’s 21.
“I was a little confused because he did not make as many mistakes as I had anticipated,” Alcaraz said. “I was unsure of how to handle that.”
After falling to Novak Djokovic on August 4, Alcaraz, who won silver at the Olympics in Paris, claims he needed more time off before traveling to Flushing Meadows.
“I did not have as much energy when I arrived as I had anticipated. But I do not want to use that as a justification,” he remarked.
Prior to this, American Alex Michelsen was defeated by world No. 1 Jannik Sinner 6-4 6-0 6-2 to record his 50th victory of the year.
