Yesterday, Botic van de Zandschulp caused ripples at the US Open by defeating Carlos Alcaraz in the second round of the tournament. The Spaniard, who had been in good form this year, suffered a humiliating defeat in straight sets against a player ranked 74th in the world. While none saw it coming, it was Zandschulp’s biggest career victory. As the Dutch star shined bright on the Arthur Ashe Stadium, a bizarre coincidence came to light, involving the former US Open champion, Daniil Medvedev.

Back in 2021, Medvedev won the US Open title, defeating Novak Djokovic in the summit clash. It was the Russian star’s maiden Grand Slam victory and it was a special moment for him as he dominated his opponents throughout the tournament. Interestingly, Medvedev lost just a set in the entire event and it was against none other than Botic van de Zandschulp, who crushed Alcaraz’s hopes of defending the title this year.

Medvedev and van de Zandschulp clashed in the quarterfinals of that edition, with the former prevailing 6-3, 6-0, 4-6, 7-5 over the qualifier. Yesterday, after the Dutch star defeated Alcaraz, a trivia about the US Open went viral, which asked about the player who took a set off Medvedev at the 2021 US Open. American legend, Andy Roddick made the correct guess, saying, “Botic right ?”

With a victory over Alcaraz, Botic van de Zandschulp is on a collision course with Daniil Medvedev, as the two can face each other in the semifinals again. As it happened three years back, the Dutch star can prove to be a lucky mascot for Medvedev to win the title this year, as the Russian will be the firm favorite to win the match if the two lock horns.

Interestingly in 2021, after Medvedev beat van de Zandschulp, he had praised the Dutchman and had made a big prediction about him.

Daniil Medvedev’s on-point prediction about Botic van de Zandschulp

Despite entering the 2021 US Open as a qualifier, van de Zandschulp managed to reach the last eight and take a set off Daniil Medvedev. After their match, the Russian star was impressed by his opponent’s talent and heaped praise on him.

Medvedev said, “It’s an amazing run, coming from qualies to make quarters. He played so many tough matches, and today he was still able to come back. In the fourth set, anything could happen. It was an amazing level from him in the third and fourth sets. If he continues to play like this, he’s going to be, let’s say, Top 30, Top 50.”

A few months later, van de Zandschulp went on to reach his highest career ranking of Number 22 in the world. With the Dutch star maintaining his giant-killing run at the US Open 2024, it won’t be a surprise if he sets up a clash with Medvedev this year again. Moreover, he’ll be looking to go a step ahead and defeat Medvedev, if the two do faceoff in the semifinals. Do you think De Zandschulp can get to the semis though? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.