Botic van de Zandschulp was involved in a bizarre moment during his quarterfinal match against Bu Yunchaokete at the Winston-Salem Open. The Dutchman has had a great week at the ATP 250 tournament in North America, but this time he stole the spotlight for a peculiar situation with his shorts during the match.
The former world No. 22 seems to have found his form again and is looking to reach the tournament's semifinals—his second time reaching this stage of an ATP tournament this season, following his strong performance at the Kitzbühel Open (where he lost to eventual champion Alexander Bublik).
The match was interrupted during the changeover at the start of the second set. The Dutchman had comfortably won the first set 6-3, and his opponent, Bu, was beginning the second set by holding his serve.
That's when the changeover happened, and the umpire noticed that Van de Zandschulp's shorts still had the tag hanging from them. The 29-year-old had forgotten to cut the tag off and was surprised when the umpire pointed it out, asking him to remove it so the match could continue. However, Van de Zandschulp didn't seem to fully understand the umpire's request and simply adjusted his shorts before getting ready to play again.
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Quarterfinal match interrumted by rain
Just like throughout the rest of the week, rain has disrupted the normal course of the tournament, and Van de Zandschulp's match had to be suspended after an hour and a half of play. The Dutchman was a break up in the second set and was about to serve with the score at 6-3, 4-3 in his favor, but the umpire decided to suspend the match.
The Dutchman has had a great week, beating Adam Walton, Matteo Arnaldi (6th seed), and Sebastian Baez (10th seed)—recovering from a 0-6 first set against Baez. On the other side, Yunchaokete delivered one of the tournament's biggest upsets by eliminating the Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas (1st seed) in the second round, in addition to defeating Tseng Chun-hsin and Mariano Navone.
The winner of the match between Bu and Van de Zandschulp will face the Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, who earlier eliminated Hamad Medjedovic in the quarterfinals. In the other semifinal match, the American 11th seed Sebastian Korda will face the Hungarian Marton Fucsovics. The semifinal matches are expected to be played this Friday afternoon, while the final will take place on Saturday, just two days before the began of US Open.
A tough start for Van de Zandschulp at the US Open
Botic van de Zandschulp is still trying to rediscover his best tennis after dealing with injuries over the past couple of years. The Dutch player has fallen to a current world ranking of No. 92, a significant drop from his top-25 position just a few seasons ago.
His run to the Winston-Salem quarterfinals secured him a jump to No. 88, and a win against Bu would place him in the top 80 heading into the US Open.
He was drawn against a tough opponent for the first round of the final Grand Slam of the year: the 11th seed Holger Rune. The Danish player is looking to turn things around at a major tournament after a first-round loss at Wimbledon to Nicolás Jarry.
While Rune leads their head-to-head record 2-0, with both matches being on clay in the finals of the 2022 and 2023 Munich Open, this will be their first match on hard court. Van de Zandschulp is a formidable opponent on this surface. He famously surprised Novak Djokovic in the second round of Indian Wells this past March, and in the 2024 US Open, he defeated none other than Carlos Alcaraz—also in the second round.
Cristhián AvilaTennis Journalist
Cristhián Ávila is a tennis journalist based in Santiago, Chile, and has been part of the TennisUpToDate team since early 2023. He covers the ATP and WTA Tours as well as all four Grand Slams, producing breaking news, match reports, analysis, and regular liveblogs from major tournaments.
His reporting combines statistical analysis with clear explanation, helping readers understand tactical developments, player form, and broader storylines across the tour. Working fluently in both Spanish and English, Cristhián collaborates with an international editorial team and contributes to comprehensive global coverage. As part of his work, he has conducted interviews and media interactions with leading figures in the sport, including Caroline Wozniacki and John McEnroe.
In his journalism, Cristhián places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available. His coverage is grounded in research, context, and direct engagement with professional tennis.
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