Carlos Alcaraz wins on US Open return

Carlos Alcaraz returned to Grand Slam competition this week with more uncertainty than usual around a defending champion. The Spaniard had not played a singles match since April because of a right wrist injury, and his first test in New York came after more than four months away from the ATP Tour. (aljazeera.com) He came through it in straight sets against Roman Safiullin, according to ATP Tour and tournament coverage. The win put him back into the draw quickly, but it also reset the conversation around the men’s event because his title defense had been in doubt until late August. (atptour.com) ### Why was Alcaraz’s opener such a closely watched match? (atptour.com) Carlos Alcaraz entered the tournament as the defending men’s champion and had not competed since Barcelona in April because of a right wrist injury, ATP Tour coverage said. The U.S. Open confirmed on Aug. 20 that he would return in New York, and ATP later described the layoff as the longest of his career so far. The 139-day gap mattered because Alcaraz skipped the usual North American hard-court buildup before Flushing Meadows. The official U.S. Open site said he was trying to do something no men’s champion had done in the tournament’s hard-court era at Flushing Meadows: win the title without playing a North American hard-court event beforehand. (atptour.com) ### Who did he play, and what did the result show? Roman Safiullin was Alcaraz’s first-round opponent, according to ATP Tour scheduling and draw coverage. ATP said before the match that Alcaraz would open on Monday in New York against the Russian in his first singles match since April. (usopen.org) Straight-sets wins are common shorthand for control, but Alcaraz had framed the bigger issue before the tournament as whether his wrist would hold up under long, intense practice loads. “It wasn’t an easy decision,” he told ATP in a pre-tournament interview about choosing to return in New York, saying he had tried to do “everything perfect” to test the wrist before coming back. (usopen.org) ### What else happened around him on Day 2? Aryna Sabalenka opened her title defense with a 6-2, 6-4 win over Camila Osorio, according to the WTA. The top seed’s victory extended her streak to 24 consecutive Grand Slam first-round wins. (atptour.com) Iga Swiatek also advanced in straight sets, beating Wang Xiyu 6-2, 6-3 on Monday night, the WTA said. That result gave Swiatek her 28th consecutive opening-match win at majors and improved her overall Grand Slam first-round record to 30-1. (atptour.com) Ben Shelton moved through the men’s draw as well after beating Tallon Griekspoor on Monday night, ATP reported. ATP said Shelton, the highest-ranked American man, recovered from a slow start to launch his campaign. (wtatennis.com) ### Why was Stan Wawrinka’s loss part of the story? Stan Wawrinka lost 6-7(4), 6-7(3), 0-6 to Matteo Berrettini in the first round on Monday, ATP said. ATP described the match as Wawrinka’s final appearance at a Grand Slam tournament because the Swiss player is set to retire later this year. (wtatennis.com) The 40-year-old’s exit carried extra weight in New York because he won the 2016 U.S. Open title there, beating Novak Djokovic in the final. After the loss, ATP quoted Wawrinka saying of the tournament, “I’m gonna miss it a lot.” (atptour.com) ### What comes next for Alcaraz in New York? The 2026 U.S. Open runs from Aug. 30 to Sept. 13 in New York, ATP said. ATP’s Wednesday schedule listed Alcaraz for the Arthur Ashe Stadium evening session, with Shelton, Daniil Medvedev and Frances Tiafoe also in action. (atptour.com 1) (atptour.com 2)