Botic van de Zandschulp staged a remarkable comeback from two sets down to defeat Arthur Gea 3-6, 6-7 (0-7), 7-6 (9-7), 7-6 (7-3), 6-4 in a grueling first-round match at the US Open on Monday, securing a place in the quarter-finals. The victory denied 21-year-old Gea a rare breakthrough, as the French player was aiming to become the first men’s lucky loser to reach a Grand Slam quarter-final.

Gea, ranked 87th in the world, had fallen short in the final round of qualifying but entered the main draw due to the withdrawal of 18th-seeded Casper Ruud, who withdrew with a back injury. While a number of lucky losers have made it to the round of 16 in Grand Slam events, none had previously advanced beyond that stage. Gea came within moments of rewriting history but was ultimately overcome by the resilience of 30-year-old Van de Zandschulp.

The match lasted five hours and 13 minutes, narrowly missing the US Open record for the longest match, held by Dan Evans’ five-hour and 35-minute first-round victory over Karen Khachanov in 2024. Van de Zandschulp saved a match point in the third set and maintained his composure throughout the marathon encounter.

After the match, an exhausted Van de Zandschulp expressed surprise at his endurance. “No clue actually,” he said. “Crazy comeback – five hours, 15 minutes, still standing, so that’s a good thing.” The Dutchman described the win as possibly surpassing his previous best performance at Flushing Meadows, recalling his first quarter-final appearance in 2021. “It’s been some tough years, but started to play better this year again,” he added.

Van de Zandschulp is set to face top-seeded Alexander Zverev in the next round. The Dutch player has a history of pulling off upsets at the US Open, having defeated then-third seed Carlos Alcaraz in straight sets during the 2024 tournament.