Carlos Alcaraz beats Roman Safiullin

Carlos Alcaraz returned to Grand Slam singles on August 31 after 139 days away and beat Roman Safiullin 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 in the first round of the U.S. Open. The defending champion had not played a professional men’s singles match since April because of a right wrist injury, according to the U.S. (usopen.org) Open and ATP Tour. In New York, the result mattered, but so did how he looked: Alcaraz said afterward that his wrist and arm “felt great” and that the match was “pain-free finally.” (atptour.com) His return had been one of the tournament’s main unknowns because the layoff covered most of the clay and grass calendar. (usopen.org) The U.S. Open said Alcaraz’s last match before New York came in Barcelona on April 14, where he later withdrew with the wrist problem. He confirmed on August 20 that he would return in New York to defend the title he won in 2025. ### How long had Alcaraz been out, exactly? The U.S. Open put the gap at 139 days between professional men’s singles matches. ATP Tour described it as a four-month wrist-injury layoff, while Alcaraz himself called it “a really tough five months” when he spoke after the match. (usopen.org) The tournament said the injury had sidelined him since April. April 14 is the key date in that timeline. The U.S. Open said Alcaraz beat Otto Virtanen in Barcelona that day before pulling out with the wrist injury, and that New York would be only his seventh tournament of 2026. Before the stoppage, he had compiled a 22-3 record and won titles at the Australian Open and Doha, according to the tournament. (usopen.org) ### What did he actually show against Safiullin? Roman Safiullin entered as a more dangerous opener than his ranking alone suggested. The U.S. Open noted before the match that Safiullin had beaten Alcaraz in Paris in 2023 and had reached the Wimbledon round of 16 last month. (usopen.org) That made the opener a useful test for a player returning without recent singles reps. On court, Alcaraz got through it in straight sets and in two hours, 22 minutes. ATP Tour said he had no visible physical struggles, while the U.S. Open said he won his first match in 139 days and reached the second round in Flushing Meadows for the sixth time in six main-draw appearances. (usopen.org) ATP added that he saved five of six break points. ### What did Alcaraz say about the wrist and the nerves? Alcaraz said the physical uncertainty was real before the match. He told ATP Tour he had doubts about whether he would last in a best-of-five contest and did not know whether he might need four or five sets. (usopen.org) Afterward, he said he was happy to come through in straight sets and that physically he had played well. The U.S. Open quoted him saying he had “kind of forgot what match day looks like” and had more nerves than usual. It also quoted his clearest fitness assessment: “I felt great,” he said. “The arm, the wrist, everything felt great. I’m just really happy it’s pain-free finally.” (usopen.org) ### Why was this matchup watched so closely? Carlos Alcaraz arrived in New York as the defending champion and No. 2 seed in the men’s draw. The U.S. Open said he is trying to become the first man to defend the title since Roger Federer won five straight from 2004 to 2008. ATP Tour also noted that Alcaraz is a two-time champion in New York, having won there in 2022 and 2025. (atptour.com) The draw context added to the attention. The U.S. Open said Alexander Zverev and Alcaraz were the top two seeds after world No. 1 Jannik Sinner withdrew injured before the tournament. That left Alcaraz’s health as one of the biggest variables in the men’s field. (usopen.org) ### Who does he play next? September 2 is the date of Alcaraz’s second-round match against Portugal’s Jaime Faria. The U.S. Open’s day-four preview listed Alcaraz-Faria as second-round play, and ATP Tour said Alcaraz was due to headline the Arthur Ashe Stadium evening session on Wednesday. (atptour.com) Faria, 23, entered the tournament at a career-high No. 70 ranking, according to the U.S. Open preview. For Alcaraz, the next data point is simple: another best-of-five match, two days after the first pain-free singles test of his return. (usopen.org 1) (usopen.org 2)