Van de Zandschulp, Cazaux shocks among biggest Grand Slam upsets of 2024

  • Posted: Dec 03, 2024

Ousting a top player is one thing, but doing it in a five-set match is something else.

There were plenty of surprise results at Grand Slam events in 2024, when a host of players notched statement wins on some of the biggest stages in tennis.

As part of our annual season-in-review series, ATPTour.com counts down the five most unexpected upsets of the year at the majors. Check out our biggest ATP Tour upsets of 2024 here.

[ATP APP]

5) Wimbledon R1: Mpetshi Perricard d. Korda 7-6(5), 6-7(4), 7-6(6), 6-3
Sebastian Korda’s red-hot mid-year form suffered a surprise blip when faced with a big-serving barrage from Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard.

The 20th-seeded Korda arrived at Wimbledon fresh from a final run in ‘s-Hertogenbosch and a semi-final appearance at Queen’s Club, but a powerful display from SW19 debutant Mpetshi Perricard ended the American’s grass-court season. The 20-year-old lucky loser, who began 2024 outside the Top 200 but was competing against Korda as the World No. 58, fired 51 aces on Court 16 to notch a statement triumph.

The quality of Mpetshi Perricard’s first main-draw win at a major was only underlined further when Korda lifted his maiden ATP 500 title at his very next event, the Mubadala Citi DC Open in Washington, before reaching his second ATP Masters 1000 semi-final in Montreal.

In contrast, Mpetshi Perricard struggled to immediately back up his run at Wimbledon, where he went on to reach the fourth round. The Frenchman won just two matches across eight tournaments after the grass-court major, but he then bounced back spectacularly by charging to an ATP 500 crown of his own in Basel. Mpetshi Perricard finished the 2024 season at No. 30 in the PIF ATP Rankings.

4) US Open R3: Popyrin d Djokovic 6-4, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4
Alexei Popyrin had three attempts at upsetting record-24-time major champion Novak Djokovic on the Grand Slam stage in 2024. After falling to the Serbian in four sets at both the Australian Open and Wimbledon, Popyrin unleashed his brand of ‘big-man tennis’ to spectacular effect to sink Djokovic in the third round at the US Open.

Popyrin, playing with confidence after winning his maiden Masters 1000 title in Montreal earlier in August, hit 50 winners past the World No. 2 Djokovic. With plenty of power in his game on serve and off the ground, Popyrin causing his illustrious opponent problems may not have come as a huge surprise. Yet the key to the biggest win of his career by PIF ATP Ranking was the consistency he found across the three sets he won.

“Third time lucky [this year] I guess,” said Popyrin, who went on to push eventual finalist Taylor Fritz to four sets in the fourth round. “Honestly, we had some battles at the Australian Open and Wimbledon. I had my chances in those matches, but didn’t take them. This match was a little different. I was able to take my chances when I had them and played some good tennis.”

<img alt=”Alexei Popyrin” style=”width: 100%;” src=”/-/media/images/news/2024/08/31/03/40/popyrin-us-open-2024-friday-roar.jpg” />

Alexei Popyrin celebrates after upsetting Novak Djokovic in the third round at the US Open. Photo Credit: AFP/Getty Images

3) Wimbledon R1: Comesana d Rublev 6-4, 5-7, 6-2, 7-6(5)
Francisco Comesana gave a lesson in getting to grips quickly with grass in July at Wimbledon.

The Argentine arrived in the United Kingdom in June having never played a match on the surface at any level, neither as a professional nor as a junior. He lost his first outing on the lawns of Eastbourne in an ATP 250 qualifying match, before being presented with the task of taking on Andrey Rublev, the World No. 6 and 2023 Wimbledon quarter-finalist, in his opening round at SW19.

Despite his almost complete lack of grass-court experience, the World No. 122 Comesana rose to the occasion in style to stun Rublev with memorable four-set victory. It was the first tour-level win of the 23-year-old’s career, one he backed up by beating Adam Walton in the second round before falling to eventual semi-finalist Lorenzo Musetti.

“My family is in Argentina now and I have spoken with them and my girlfriend, who is very excited,” Comesana told ATPTour.com after defeating Rublev. “My phone will break with all the messages I am receiving! It is amazing. I just enjoyed every moment of the match. I tried to enjoy the occasion, the crowd. It was my first time playing on a court that big. I am enjoying this moment, and I am enjoying playing on grass. I am very happy.”

<img alt=”Francisco Comesana” style=”width: 100%;” src=”/-/media/images/news/2024/07/03/11/36/comesana-wimbledon-2024-feature.jpg” />

Francisco Comesana celebrates his win against Andrey Rublev. Photo Credit: Henry Nicholls/AFP via Getty Images

2) Australian Open R2: Cazaux d Rune 7-6(4), 6-4, 4-6, 6-3
Sometimes the journey is more significant than the end result.

Arthur Cazaux’s upset of eighth seed Holger Rune in the Australian Open second round was certainly a shock: The 21-year-old Frenchman, competing as a wild card, was chasing just his third tour-level win. Yet it was the way that Cazaux dismantled Rune inside Margaret Court Arena that particularly caught the eye.

The World No. 122 combined clean baseline hitting and crafty slice play with some scintillating court coverage to overwhelm Rune and complete the biggest win of his career. After sealing victory with a classy backhand pass, it didn’t take long for the enraptured crowd to learn just how highly Cazaux valued his role as an entertainer.

“It’s a show. The tennis is a show,” said Cazaux when asked about his game style in his on-court interview, before turning to the crowd. “I gave all I have in me, and I hope you enjoyed the show. We have the best crowd in France, but the Aussie crowd is crazy.”

1) US Open R2: Van de Zandschulp d Alcaraz 6-1, 7-5, 6-4
A tough 2024 for Botic van de Zandschulp sparked into life in spectacular fashion on a memorable Thursday night at the US Open.

The Dutchman entered the hard-court major with an 11-18 tour-level record for the season. After defeating Denis Shapovalov in the first round in New York, Van de Zandschulp stepped on court for his second-round clash with World No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz aiming to win back-to-back tour-level matches for the first time in over nine months.

Yet Van de Zandschulp appeared to have little trouble putting his struggles for wins behind him inside Arthur Ashe Stadium, where he produced a rock-solid display full of expertly controlled aggression from the baseline. Alcaraz had not lost a set in his two previous Lexus ATP Head2Head clashes with Van de Zandschulp, but the Spaniard had no answer to the way his opponent disrupted his rhythm throughout the encounter.

“I’m a little bit lost for words. It’s been an incredible evening, the first night session for me on Arthur Ashe. The crowd was amazing,” said Van de Zandschulp, whose straight-sets win was the biggest of his career by PIF ATP Ranking. “I got a lot of confidence from my last match [against Shapovalov]. I played really solid and from point one tonight, I believed I could have a chance, and you see how it sometimes turns out.”

<img alt=”Carlos Alcaraz/Botic van de Zandschulp” style=”width: 100%;” src=”/-/media/images/news/2024/12/03/01/08/alcaraz-van-de-zandschulp-us-open-2024-handshake.jpg” />

Carlos Alcaraz congratulates Botic van de Zandschulp at the US Open. Photo Credit: Charly Triballeau/AFP via Getty Images

[NEWSLETTER FORM]

Source link