France's Arthur Gea came within one point of becoming the first "lucky loser" to reach a Grand Slam quarter-final, but fell short in a marathon fourth-round match against Dutch player Botic van de Zandschulp. The match, lasting five hours and 13 minutes, ended with a score of 3-6, 6-7 (0-7), 7-6 (9-7), 7-6 (7-3), 6-4. Gea, 22, lost the fourth set after failing to convert a crucial match point in the third-set tie-break. A "lucky loser" is a player who qualifies for a tournament by winning matches in the qualifying rounds but does not have a high enough world ranking to enter the main draw directly. Gea had previously defeated Juan Manuel Cerundolo, Zachary Svajda, and Michael Zheng to reach the last 16 of the US Open. Van de Zandschulp described his victory as "crazy," saying he had "no clue" how he managed to win. Gea will receive $480,000 in prize money, much more than the $66,000 he had expected from qualifying. Botic van de Zandschulp will now face Germany's top seed, Alexander Zverev, in the quarter-finals. Zverev, 29, advanced with a 6-2, 6-2, 7-6 (7-3) win over Italy's 21st seed, Luciano Darderi. Zverev joked about finishing before midnight, which is unusual for him, and said he might go to a bar or return to the practice courts. He also mentioned he would request a night match against Van de Zandschulp, noting he had rented a court from 11pm to 2am for two weeks. Belgium's Alexander Blockx, seeded 28th, reached his first major quarter-final after a tough match against Argentina's Francisco Cerundolo. Blockx, 21, said he was "really close" to retiring due to rib pain but fought through to win 6-3, 4-6, 7-5, 7-5. Blockx will now face Russian world number 50, Karen Khachanov, in the quarter-finals. Khachanov, 30, defeated 14th seed Learner Tien with a score of 7-5, 4-6, 6-7 (6-8), 6-1, 6-4. This victory ended Tien's attempt to put four American men into the quarter-finals for the first time since 1995. Khachanov's win highlights the unpredictable nature of Grand Slam tennis, where upsets and strong performances from lower-ranked players can dramatically alter the tournament's trajectory.