New York, Sept 1:
Carlos Alcaraz made an emphatic return to the US Open on Monday, defeating Roman Safiullin 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 in the opening round and easing concerns over the right wrist injury that had kept him out of action since April.
The second-seeded Spaniard produced a confident performance on Arthur Ashe Stadium, controlling the match from the baseline and gradually increasing his intensity as the contest progressed.
Alcaraz had been sidelined since April because of the wrist problem, making his return to Grand Slam competition a major point of interest. However, the 23-year-old showed no obvious signs of discomfort during the three-set victory.
āI was hitting normal… playing my style, and yeah, the arm, the wrist, everything felt great,ā Alcaraz said after the match.
The Spaniard made a solid start against Safiullin, securing the opening set 6-4 before maintaining control in the second. He continued to apply pressure in the third set to complete the victory without allowing the match to extend beyond three sets.
As he became increasingly comfortable on the hard court, Alcaraz entertained the New York crowd with his trademark attacking tennis, combining powerful groundstrokes with his ability to change the pace of rallies.
His celebrations after important points also drew a strong response from the Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd.
The victory provides an encouraging beginning to Alcarazās campaign as he attempts to defend his US Open crown.
The Spaniard is among the leading contenders for the title and will be hoping that his wrist remains trouble-free as the tournament progresses.
For Alcaraz, the opening-round victory was significant not only because it secured his passage into the next round but also because it provided an early indication that he has returned to competition at full strength.
With the injury concerns seemingly behind him, Alcaraz can now turn his attention to the longer challenge of navigating the draw and making another deep run in New York.