Botic van de Zandschulp saved two match points to defeat Hubert Hurkacz at the Masters 1,000 tournament in Montreal. The Dutch tennis player completed a three-set comeback victory to win the match 3-6, 7-6 (7/4), 7-5.
Hurkacz won the opening set 6-3 and held a break of serve lead in the second set. The Polish player is known for a devastating serve that is difficult to break. Serving for the match at 6-3, 5-4, Hurkacz moved ahead 40-15 to earn two match points, but Van de Zandschulp saved both of them.
Immediately after reaching deuce, Van de Zandschulp delivered the shot of the tournament, which is also a contender for shot of the year. Positioned on the ground and completely off balance, he quickly placed his racket in front of his body to return a smash from Hurkacz. The ball flew across the net and landed inside the court, aided by rapid reaction and luck.
Van de Zandschulp confirmed the extraordinary point by breaking Hurkacz's serve to level the second set. He went on to win the deciding set 7-5 and advance to face Mensik of the Czech Republic in the next round.
Reaction to the shot
The winner offered no reaction after securing the point, behaving as though he had won an ordinary point. His quiet reaction stood in contrast to the shouts and applause from the crowd in attendance.
The calm demeanor is standard for Van de Zandschulp during competition. He routinely maintains the exact same level of concentration throughout a match, regardless of whether things are going well or poorly for him.
Career record and major wins
Van de Zandschulp is currently ranked 70th in the world and has reached a career-high ranking of 22nd. Although he does not have a tournament title in his record, he holds several high-prestige victories against prominent players.
He defeated Novak Djokovic 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 at Indian Wells in 2025, representing his single victory in three matches against Djokovic. He also defeated Carlos Alcaraz 6-1, 7-5, 6-4 in the second round of the 2024 US Open.
Van de Zandschulp was also the opponent on the other side of the net for the final professional match of Rafael Nadal's career at the 2024 Davis Cup in Malaga. The Dutch player defeated Nadal 6-4, 6-4 in that contest.
