Carlos Alcaraz announced his return to Grand Slam singles action in emphatic fashion, defeating Roman Safiullin 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 to begin his US Open title defence with a commanding victory at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
The second-seeded Spaniard had not played a singles match since April after suffering a wrist injury that forced him to miss the French Open and Wimbledon. He also skipped Cincinnati, making his opening-round clash in New York his first major singles test in more than four months.
Despite the extended layoff, Alcaraz showed little sign of rust. The 23-year-old produced the explosive forehand, speed around the court and aggressive style that have helped establish him as one of tennis’s leading players.
Safiullin, who had previously defeated Alcaraz on hard court in 2023, offered resistance throughout the contest. He created several break-point opportunities in the opening stages, but Alcaraz repeatedly found a way out of trouble before making the decisive breakthrough at 4-3.
A forehand winner gave Alcaraz his first break, and he protected the advantage to take the opening set 6-4.
Safiullin made another strong start in the second set, moving 2-0 ahead, but Alcaraz responded immediately. He levelled the set and then broke for a 5-4 lead before serving it out to move within one set of victory.
The third set followed a similar pattern. Alcaraz survived three break points early on before taking control with a break at 3-1. From there, he maintained his intensity and closed out the match in straight sets.
The victory further enhanced Alcaraz’s impressive record at Flushing Meadows. Before the tournament, he had won 24 of his 27 US Open matches and had lifted the trophy in 2022 and 2025. He is now pursuing an eighth Grand Slam title.
Alcaraz had already featured in mixed doubles earlier in New York alongside Serena Williams, but the singles victory offered a much clearer indication of his condition following the injury setback.
“It has been a really tough four or five months,” Alcaraz said after the match. “I couldn’t have decided to come back in a better tournament than here in New York.”
The Spaniard added that he had missed both the atmosphere and the competition, saying the US Open was a “really special place” for him.
His straight-sets success also extended his US Open winning streak to eight matches. With Novak Djokovic already eliminated in the opening round, Alcaraz’s convincing comeback has further strengthened his position among the leading contenders for the men’s title.
Comments are closed.