PrashantNews
In less than 24 hours after the exit of Carlos Alcaraz from the US Open, it was the turn of all time great Novak Djokovic to bow out of Flushing Meadows on Friday night.
The 28th ranked Alexei Popyrin (Australia) faced no difficulty in overcoming the challenge of the no 2 seed Djokovic in four sets 6-4, 6-4,2-6,6-4 in the third round. The reigning Olympic champion Djokovic made staggering 14 double faults and 49 unforced errors in the match which surprised many people.
With this loss, Djokovic’s dreams of winning 25th grand slam title also shattered. This year, he couldn’t win a single grand slam.
Reigning French Open and Wimbledon Champion Carlos Alcaraz’s desire to win his second US Open title failed on Thursday after he bowed out in the second round in New York that also ended his 15-match Grand Slam unbeaten run. Little known B Van de Zandshulp, who is 74thranked in the world, won the match against Carlos, who was no 3 seed in US Open, in straight sets 6-1, 7-5, 6-4.
Alcraraz’s defeat in the US Open came in less than one month after he was beaten in Paris Olympics by Djokovic in straight sets in the grueling championship final match.
Alcaraz has never lost in the opening round of a grand slam tournament and this was his first loss in any major tournament since he was defeated in the second round of Wimbledon in 2021 as a teenager.
After the match, Djokovic wrote on X: “It wasn’t meant to be tonight. Well played @AlexeiPopyrin99. Time for me to relax, regroup and move on. Untill next time, NYC.