So Close to History
Arthur Gea's remarkable journey through the 2026 US Open came to a heartbreaking end in the fourth round, as the 22-year-old Frenchman surrendered a match point in the third-set tiebreak and ultimately fell to Dutch competitor Botic van de Zandschulp in a five-set epic lasting five hours and thirteen minutes. That duration makes it the fourth-longest match ever contested at Flushing Meadows.
Gea had entered the tournament as a lucky loser, having lost to American Nishesh Basavareddy in the final round of qualifying. A last-minute withdrawal from 2022 finalist Casper Ruud due to injury gave Gea a second chance, and he seized it brilliantly, defeating Juan Manuel Cerundolo, Zachary Svajda, and Michael Zheng to reach the last sixteen. Had he converted that match point, he would have become the first lucky loser in the open era to reach a Grand Slam quarterfinal.
Van de Zandschulp Survives, Zverev Awaits
Van de Zandschulp, ranked 70th in the world, admitted he had "no clue" how he managed the turnaround, describing it as a wild comeback after winning 3-6, 6-7, 7-6, 7-6, 6-4. The Dutchman was staring at defeat twice over before finding his best tennis when it mattered most.
The reward for Van de Zandschulp is a quarterfinal meeting with German top seed Alexander Zverev, who had a surprisingly civilized evening himself, finishing his straight-sets victory over Luciano Darderi before midnight for the first time all tournament. Zverev joked he might visit a bar given the early finish.
Gea leaves New York with approximately 480,000 dollars in prize money, a stunning upgrade from the 66,000 dollars he initially expected from qualifying. TennisDraw users who tracked Gea's improbable run will be watching closely to see if Van de Zandschulp can keep the momentum going against Zverev.
