French qualifier Arthur Gea missed an opportunity to become the first lucky loser to reach a Grand Slam quarter-final after losing to Botic van de Zandschulp in a grueling four-hour, fifty-three-minute battle at Flushing Meadows.
The 22-year-old, ranked 87th, had never played in a Grand Slam main draw prior to this tournament. He entered as a lucky loser after losing in the final round of qualifying but receiving a spot when 2022 finalist Casper Ruud withdrew due to injury. Gea then defeated Juan Manuel Cerundolo, Zachary Svajda, and Michael Zheng to reach the fourth round.
However, he could not convert a match point in the third-set tie-break against Dutchman Van de Zandschulp. The world number 70 went on to win 3-6, 6-7 (0-7), 7-6 (9-7), 7-6 (7-3), and 6-4, marking the fourth longest match in US Open history.
Van de Zandschulp admitted he had “no clue” how he managed the comeback, while Gea became only the 13th lucky loser to be eliminated in the fourth round of a major. Despite the exit, Gea’s prize money increased significantly from the $66,000 expected from qualifying to $480,000 for reaching the quarter-finals.
Meanwhile, top seed Alexander Zverev secured his place in the last eight with a straight-sets victory over Italy’s Luciano Darderi. The German, who joked about being unsure what to do with himself after finishing before midnight, expressed his desire to play Van de Zandschulp in a night session during the quarter-finals.
In other action, Belgium’s Alexander Blockx fought through severe rib pain to defeat Francisco Cerundolo 6-3, 4-6, 7-5, 7-5, becoming the first Belgian man to reach the New York quarter-finals. Blockx later stated he was close to retiring before the match but was relieved he continued. He is set to face Karen Khachanov, who came from behind to defeat American Learner Tien, ending hopes of four home players in the last eight for the first time since 1995.
Gea’s run was incredible for a lucky loser, but missing that match point must have been heartbreaking. What a twist of fate.
Four hours and fifty-three minutes? That’s absolutely brutal. Van de Zandschulp is a champion for hanging in there.