Botic van de Zandschulp Reaches US Open Quarterfinal in Epic Comeback

Botic van de Zandschulp walked off Louis Armstrong Stadium looking less like a survivor and more like a man who’d just rewritten a chapter of his career.

Down two sets. Staring at match point. Five hours and 13 minutes on the clock. When it finally ended, the Dutchman had dragged himself into a second US Open quarterfinal with a 3-6, 6-7(0), 7-6(7), 7-6(3), 6-4 epic over French lucky loser Arthur Gea — the fourth-longest match in the tournament’s history.

From the brink to a five-set classic

For two and a half sets, this was Gea’s story.

The Frenchman, only in the main draw because 2022 runner-up Casper Ruud withdrew with a back injury, swung freely, served boldly and controlled the big points. He took the first set 6-3, then humiliated van de Zandschulp in a 7-0 tiebreak in the second. The 30-year-old Dutchman, who had already knocked out Australian Alex de Minaur in the second round, looked headed for the exit.

The tension peaked in the third-set tiebreak. Gea earned match point, a swing away from becoming the first lucky loser in history to reach a men’s singles grand slam quarterfinal. The stadium tightened. Van de Zandschulp didn’t.

He saved it, snatched the tiebreak 9-7, and with it, the entire tone of the night shifted.

The pressure finally told on Gea. Van de Zandschulp began to lean into his baseline patterns, lengthening rallies, forcing the Frenchman to hit one extra ball, then another. The fourth set went to yet another tiebreak, but this time the Dutchman was the one dictating. He took it 7-3, dragging the match into a deciding set that had seemed unthinkable an hour earlier.

By then, Gea’s legs and belief were fading. Van de Zandschulp broke through in the fifth and guarded that advantage with the assurance of a man who had already walked this path at Flushing Meadows. After 5:13 of swings, sprints and stress, he sealed a 6-4 final set and a place in the last eight.

“I think this is probably better than the first quarterfinal I made here,” he said afterward, thinking back to his 2021 run. “It hasn’t sunk in yet, but I think tomorrow it’s going to be a great feeling.”

It will feel like more than that. It will feel like a match that might define his season.

Blockx makes Belgian history

Earlier in the day, Alexander Blockx carved out a piece of Belgian tennis history.

Seeded 28, Blockx beat 24th seed Francisco Cerundolo 6-3, 4-6, 7-5, 7-5 to become the first man from Belgium to reach the US Open quarterfinals. It was not as dramatic as van de Zandschulp’s marathon, but it carried its own weight.

Twice, Blockx had to steady himself in tight closing stages, edging both the third and fourth sets 7-5. Each time Cerundolo threatened to drag the contest deeper, Blockx found a way to shut the door, leaning on a composed serve and a willingness to step in on key points.

His reward is a quarterfinal against Karen Khachanov, a man who knows this stage well.

Khachanov goes the distance

Khachanov’s route to the last eight was no cruise either. The Russian was pushed to five sets by American 14th seed Learner Tien before prevailing 7-5, 4-6, 6-7(6), 6-1, 6-4.

For three sets, Tien had the crowd, the momentum and a real shot at a statement win. He edged the third-set tiebreak 8-6 to move in front, but Khachanov’s response was ruthless. The fourth set flashed by 6-1 as the Russian tightened his game and began to bully the baseline. A single break in the fifth proved enough.

By the end, Khachanov’s experience in long matches showed. Tien had thrown plenty at him; it wasn’t quite enough.

Zverev closes the night

Men’s number one seed Alexander Zverev closed the schedule on Monday, taking on Italian 21st seed Luciano Darderi in the final match of the day in New York.

On a night that belonged to endurance, nerve and narrow escapes, the question now is simple: whose legs — and belief — will last longest as the second week bites back at Flushing Meadows?