It was another massive US Open scalp for world number 70 Van De Zandschulp, who also eliminated Carlos Alcaraz from the second round of this tournament in 2023.
Van de Zandschulp completed a rollicking straight sets win inside three hours, 6-4 7-5 6-2.
De Minaur appeared to struggle physically with having to play on consecutive days after his first round win over Andrea Guerrieri was pushed back by one day, a same fate his opponent suffered when winning in straight sets over Jan Choinski on Wednesday afternoon local time.
The Aussie's first round match was 20 minutes shorter than that of Van de Zandschulp, who looked far sharper and fitter throughout the two hour and 45 minute clash.
He didn't help himself with a first serve percentage of just 51%, putting significant pressure on a second serve that saw him facing 11 break points.
Van de Zandschulp broke once in the first set, twice in the second and twice again in the third as his seeded opponent wore out.
It's de Minaur's earliest US Open exit in five years and caps off his worst Grand Slam circuit in three years, after reaching the quarter-finals of the Australian and US Opens in 2025 and the quarter-finals in all but the US Open the year prior.
Van de Zandschulp had never previously defeated de Minaur in four attempts, the most recent of which was at a February event in Rotterdam.
Aaron Murphy has been with Flashscore since 2018 and, as the founding editor of the Australian newsdesk, has reported on-site at several major events in Melbourne including the Australian Open, State of Origin, A-League, NBL and international cricket. You can read his pieces here and contact him on X or LinkedIn.
