Alex de Minaur's early US Open exit and Dane Sweeny's upset win
Consensus Summary
Alex de Minaur suffered a shock second-round exit at the 2026 US Open, losing in straight sets to Botic van de Zandschulp, marking his earliest defeat in New York in five years. The Australian, who had reached the quarterfinals the past two years, struggled with unforced errors and serve issues, leaving wildcard Dane Sweeny as the sole Australian remaining in the singles draw after his upset victory over Lorenzo Musetti. Meanwhile, Nick Kyrgios accepted a one-month suspension for cocaine use, reducing a three-month ban, while de Minaur’s form downturn continued after his Wimbledon loss in July. Sweeny, ranked 123 and standing at 170 centimetres, celebrated his first top-20 win, having returned from a multi-month break two years ago after a form slump.
✓ Verified by 2+ sources
Key details reported by multiple sources:
- Alex de Minaur lost in the second round of the 2026 US Open to Botic van de Zandschulp in straight sets (6-4, 7-5, 6-2).
- De Minaur’s defeat is his earliest exit at the US Open in five years.
- De Minaur had reached the US Open quarterfinals the past two years.
- Dane Sweeny is the only Australian remaining in the men’s singles draw at the 2026 US Open after defeating Lorenzo Musetti 3-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-2.
- Nick Kyrgios accepted a one-month suspension for cocaine use, reducing a three-month ban.
- De Minaur lost to Flavio Cobolli at Wimbledon in July 2026.
- De Minaur had not won a grand slam match beyond the quarterfinals since February 2026.
- Van de Zandschulp had never beaten de Minaur in four prior meetings.
- Sweeny, a 170-centimetre player ranked 123, won his first top-20 victory at the US Open.
- Sweeny took a multi-month break from tennis two years ago after a form slump.
Points of Difference
Details reported by only one source:
- De Minaur’s serve failed with seven double faults and only four aces, while conceding 11 break points.
- Kyrgios’s suspension officially ended on Thursday after completing a treatment program.
- Sweeny’s wildcard was transferred from Tristan Schoolkate due to player withdrawals.
- De Minaur lost his second Australian Open quarter-final in January 2026.
- De Minaur bowed out in the third and fourth rounds at Roland-Garros and Wimbledon, respectively, in 2026.
- Van de Zandschulp had beaten Carlos Alcaraz in the same round two years ago at the US Open.
- Sweeny’s only previous match against a top-20 player was a straight-sets defeat to Ben Shelton at the 2026 Australian Open.
- De Minaur had lost this early in a major only twice in his past 13 events.
- De Minaur was the fourth-highest-ranked player left in the US Open draw after Djokovic and Auger-Aliassime exited.
- Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz was playing his first tournament in four months.
- De Minaur’s loss occurred on Thursday (Friday AEST).
- Sweeny will play Luciano Darderi on Saturday (Sunday AEST).
- Van de Zandschulp’s victory was his first over de Minaur in five attempts.
- De Minaur had beaten van de Zandschulp in four prior meetings, including at the 2026 Rotterdam ATP event.
- De Minaur committed 29 unforced errors compared to van de Zandschulp’s 21.
- De Minaur saved three match points in the final game but lost.
- De Minaur was forced to wait until day four to start his tournament due to rain postponing his round one match.
- Van de Zandschulp had beaten Daniil Medvedev at the Montreal Masters in August 2026.
- De Minaur is a 27-year-old player, while van de Zandschulp is a 30-year-old player.
Where the reporting differs
Details that conflict, or appear in only some outlets:
- The SMH and ABC mention de Minaur’s defeat occurred on Friday (AEST), but 7NEWS states it happened on Thursday (Friday AEST).
- SMH and ABC describe de Minaur’s loss as occurring in two hours and 43 minutes, but 7NEWS does not specify the duration.
- SMH and ABC mention de Minaur’s serve had seven double faults, but 7NEWS does not provide this detail.
Source Articles
De Minaur dumped from US Open in straight sets as Kyrgios cocaine ban revealed
World No.123 Dane Sweeny is celebrating his first top-20 win as he moves into the round of 32 in New York.
Alex de Minaur bombs out of US Open in second-round shocker to Botic van de Zandschulp
The Aussie looked shellshocked as soon as the match ended, while fans called it a ‘new low’.
De Minaur crashes out of US Open in shock straight sets loss
Alex de Minaur has crashed out of the US Open at the second-round stage, beaten in straight sets by Botic van de Zandschulp.
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