Four months and one wrist surgery later, Carlos Alcaraz is back at a Grand Slam, and he opened his US Open title defense exactly the way a champion wants: a 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 win over Roman Safiullin that took just over two hours. The scoreline is routine. The road here was anything but.
The comeback nobody thought was coming
Alcaraz had not played a competitive singles match since a right wrist injury at the Barcelona Open in April forced him to skip the French Open and Wimbledon, both of which he had won before. He pulled out of every event on the summer hard-court swing, then teased his return with a single “Here we go!” post before showing up in New York.
That makes him the No. 2 seed and defending champion in a draw suddenly missing world No. 1 Jannik Sinner, who withdrew with injury. It also puts Alcaraz on a history-chasing path: no man has won the US Open since it moved to hard courts in 1978 without playing at least one North American hard-court tune-up. He is trying to be the first in 48 years.
A straight-set statement
Against a tricky opponent who had beaten him before, Alcaraz never looked like he had been away. He ripped a 108 mph forehand in the first set, fought back from an early break down in the second, and landed 69 percent of first serves, putting to rest the questions about whether the wrist could still deliver power.
| Metric | Alcaraz vs Safiullin |
|---|---|
| Score | 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 |
| Match time | Just over 2 hours |
| First serves in | 68 percent (68 of 100) |
| Break points won | 4 of 7 |
| Fastest forehand | 108 mph |
| Opponent ranking | World No. 99 |
What a win like this means
The bigger takeaway is less the score than the calm. Guardian noted Alcaraz “was understandably rusty and tentative” arriving in New York, but against a player who takes time and rhythm away from opponents, he looked sharp from the opening games. Laura Robson told fans on commentary that the “unknown with the forehand and serve” was the big talking point, “and he’s kind of put that to rest.”
Alcaraz is also chasing a rare piece of history in New York. No US Open men’s champion since 1978 has won the title without a single hard-court warm-up event between Wimbledon and Flushing Meadows. With world No. 1 Jannik Sinner out of the draw with injury, Alcaraz’s half of the bracket looks more navigable, though Alexander Zverev looms as the other top seed.
Why Filipinos are watching
The US Open has become a fixture for Filipino tennis fans this fortnight, with Alex Eala flying the flag in the women’s draw and Aryna Sabalenka surviving a nervy opener to keep her three-peat hopes alive. Alcaraz remains the tournament’s biggest box-office draw on the men’s side, and Novak Djokovic’s record 25th Grand Slam chase headlines the other half of the draw.
For Alcaraz, the work now is managing a five-set grind on the hottest hard court in tennis without the usual summer reps. His own camp has been clear: the wrist is fine, and the form is a process. “He’s probably moving great and maybe not timing the ball as well,” Tommy Paul predicted, “but if he can get a few wins under his belt, look out.”
