Alex de Minaur's US Open Exit: Straight-Sets Loss to Botic van de Zandschulp

Alex de Minaur’s US Open campaign stopped abruptly in the New York heat, undone in straight sets by a sharp and relentless Botic van de Zandschulp in the second round.

The Australian, tipped by many to make a deeper run, never quite found his rhythm and was bundled out 6-4, 7-5, 6-2 in a two-hour, 43-minute contest that felt tighter than the scoreline, yet ended with a clear winner and a clear casualty.

Van de Zandschulp seizes control

From the opening games, van de Zandschulp imposed himself. He hit through the court, took the ball early, and kept de Minaur on the stretch. The first set hinged on a handful of key points; the Dutchman won them. A single break was enough to close it out 6-4, and with it went much of the Australian’s early confidence.

De Minaur, known for his speed and tenacity, chased everything. He extended rallies, tried to drag the match into a physical battle, but van de Zandschulp’s weight of shot kept him in command. When the Dutchman’s first serve landed, he rarely looked troubled.

Tight second set, same outcome

The second set offered de Minaur a way back. He dug in, held serve under pressure, and at times looked ready to flip the script. The rallies grew longer, the tension heavier. This was the moment for a momentum swing.

It never came.

Van de Zandschulp stayed calm in the big moments, again making the decisive move late in the set. He broke when it mattered and sealed it 7-5, leaving de Minaur staring at a two-set deficit and the exit door.

Dutchman finishes the job

By the third, the pattern was set. Van de Zandschulp, sensing a statement win, tightened his grip. De Minaur’s resistance began to fray as the Dutch player accelerated, mixing heavy groundstrokes with measured aggression.

The pressure finally told. Errors crept into the Australian’s game, while van de Zandschulp kept his level high and his focus sharp. The third set raced away from de Minaur, ending 6-2 and confirming a straight-sets defeat that ABC News Australia labelled unexpected.

No miracle comeback. No foothold in any of the three sets. Just a clean, clinical win for van de Zandschulp and an early exit for de Minaur, whose US Open ends in round two, far earlier than he or Australian fans would have imagined.