Carlos Alcaraz Overcomes Slow Start to Advance in US Open
Carlos Alcaraz bends but does not break. Not in New York. Not under the lights.
The defending US Open champion flirted with danger on Thursday night, dropping the opening set to Portugal’s Jaime Faria before ripping through the gears and storming into the third round with a 4-6 6-0 6-3 6-2 win.
For a player returning from a long-term right wrist injury, this was less a scare and more a stress test. One he ended up passing with a snarl.
Slow start, sharp response
The first set told a story that has become familiar in recent months: Alcaraz searching for timing, Faria swinging freely with nothing to lose. The world number 72 took his chance, punishing loose points from the Spaniard and snatching the opener 6-4.
Alcaraz, 23, admitted the problem was as much in his head as in his racket.
“It was a tough match for me. I felt great in the first set, but I didn't take time and that cost me,” he said. “After that I tried to be focused, stay calm and think the good things will happen.”
The match flipped in the very first game of the second set. Faria earned two break points. The stadium murmured. Alcaraz stared them down.
He saved both.
The pressure finally told on the Portuguese. From there, Alcaraz tore through the set 6-0, the kind of ruthless reset that has defined his rise to the top of the sport. The forehand started to crack again, the feet danced, the swagger returned.
Wrist questions, big answers
Coming into New York, the story around Alcaraz was simple: how would that right wrist hold up in his first tournament since mid-April?
The evidence from two rounds is getting harder to argue with.
He described his first-round straight-sets win over Roman Safiullin as “normal” and sounded even more assured after dispatching Faria, insisting he is no longer pulling back on his biggest weapon.
“I know once I step on the court, I've just got to go for it every time. I've got to feel normal,” he said. “I have to hit like I was hitting before the injury. I'm feeling great. There is no reason to be afraid and not hitting normal.”
His game backed up the words. Once he escaped that opening game of the second set, Alcaraz imposed himself in every area: taking the ball earlier, stepping inside the baseline, dragging Faria from corner to corner. The third and fourth sets, 6-3 6-2, felt inevitable rather than fragile.
And yet, for a player returning from a long lay-off, he welcomed the extra mileage.
“At the end, I realised that playing four sets was really good for me to test everything physically, to test my body, how I feel, and how I'm going to feel tomorrow after this match,” he said.
This is not just about winning. It is about building a body that can survive two weeks in New York again.
A wide-open draw beckons
The bigger picture around Flushing Meadows only amplifies the sense of opportunity.
Jannik Sinner is not here. Novak Djokovic is already out. Two of the sport’s great modern gatekeepers have stepped aside, at least for this fortnight. For a two-time US Open champion who thrives in chaos, the path suddenly looks less crowded.
That does not mean it will be easy. The level of opposition will rise. So will the physical demands, especially if he keeps playing extended matches after such a long absence. The next step is China’s Wu Yibing, ranked 113th in the world, in the last 32.
Alcaraz knows the real examination of his wrist and his resilience will come deeper into the tournament, in best-of-five epics against hardened top-20 players. But nights like this, where he bends, adjusts, and then overwhelms, are how confidence is rebuilt.
Americans on the charge, a seed falls
Around him, the men’s draw continued to reshape itself.
Tommy Paul, the 20th seed and a possible fourth-round opponent for Alcaraz, kept his own campaign on track with a 6-2 6-3 5-7 6-4 win over Croatia’s Dino Prizmic. Paul now meets 15th seed Alexander Bublik, who dismantled Adrian Mannarino 6-3 6-1 6-1, a scoreline that underlined just how dangerous the Kazakh can be when his game locks in.
Eighth seed Ben Shelton pushed his bid to become the first American men’s champion since Andy Roddick in 2003 a step further. He edged past Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz 6-3 5-7 7-6 (7-3) 7-5, a gritty, high-quality contest that showcased his growing maturity in tight sets.
Frances Tiafoe, twice a semi-finalist in New York and still one of the crowd’s great favourites, also delivered. He beat Japan’s Rei Sakamoto 6-3 7-6 (7-2) 7-5, another reminder that his best tennis still belongs on the biggest stages.
Not everyone survived the night. Spanish 12th seed Rafael Jodar suffered a brutal exit, thrashed 6-2 6-1 6-1 by Chinese world number 124 Bu Yunchaokete, the standout upset of day four in the men’s draw.
The field is thinning. The contenders are separating from the hopefuls.
Alcaraz, still feeling his way back from injury, is exactly where he wanted to be: in the mix, in rhythm, and once again with New York at his feet.
