The reigning US Open champion, Carlos Alcaraz, made no mistake on his return day after 4 months of injury break, winning after 3 sets in the first round of the 2026 US Open in the early morning of September 1 (Vietnam time).
Discarded from competition due to a wrist injury in April, Alcaraz excellently passed the first test when defeating Russian player Roman Safiullin, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 at Arthur Ashe court, where the defending female champion, Aryna Sabalenka, also safely won a ticket to the 2nd round.
These are really difficult months for me," Alcaraz shared, "Being able to step onto Arthur Ashe's field and play again, I couldn't have chosen a tournament better to reappear in. This is a very special place for me.
I tried to enjoy as much as possible. I miss the audience, miss the energy here and miss the feeling of competition. I miss everything.
Alcaraz is striving to close the 2026 season with his second Grand Slam title, after winning the Australian Open in January, a achievement that helped him become the youngest male player to complete a Career Grand Slam.
The performance against Safiulin may not be Alcaraz's peak form, but the player with 7 Grand Slams has launched powerful forehands with increasing confidence, while also showing a familiar ball feel in net-up situations.
The Spanish player has his 25th victory at the US Open.
Alcaraz's favorable progress took place less than 24 hours after Novak Djokovic suffered the earliest defeat at a Grand Slam in the past 20 years, falling to Mariano Navone.
US Open 2026 is missing world No. 1 Jannik Sinner due to a knee injury, and Djokovic's stop eliminated another potential obstacle for Alcaraz - who could face the Serbian superstar in the semi-finals.
In another development, French player Arthur Fils, who was excited after his first ATP Masters title in Cincinnati, was brought back to earth by Greek player Stefanos Tsitsipas with scores of 4-6, 7-6 (7/3), 6-1, 6-4.
Tsitsipas had his first victory against 22-year-old Fils after 6 encounters.
On this very day 10 years ago, Stan Wawrinka surpassed Djokovic to win the US Open championship. And now, after losing to Matteo Berrettini 6-7 (4), 6-7 (3), 0-6, the 41-year-old player officially closed his history with Grand Slam tournaments – Australian Open championship (2014), Roland Garros (2015) and US Open 2016.
He has a wildcard to the US Open this year. The Swiss player will retire when the 2026 season ends – expected at the Basel Open at the end of October.
In the women's singles, Sabalenka's efforts to achieve a rare treble at the US Open took place in a context of somewhat worried form, but the Belarusian star promptly spoke up at the right time in a 6-2, 6-4 victory over Camila Osorio.
Despite making 23 unforced errors, the No. 1 seed also had 32 winners. Powerful shots from the baseline were enough to overcome an opponent with a stubborn counter-attacking style - who played more brightly in the second set.
Sabalenka has not reached a single final since winning the "Sunshine Double" double title at Indian Wells and Miami in March.
