Alcaraz returns to the US Open with a victory, Sabalenka also wins her first match

[AP Photo]

Carlos Alcaraz was nervous. He was excited. Best of all, he was pain-free.

Alcaraz beat Roman Safiullin 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 yesterday [Macau time], showing no problems with the right wrist injury that had sidelined the 23-year-old Spaniard since April.

“I don’t know how it looked from outside, but from inside, my feeling was that I was hitting normal,” Alcaraz said. “I was playing pretty normal, playing my style, and yeah, the arm, the wrist, everything felt great.”

In that case, don’t rule out a run at a repeat.

Following fellow two-time U.S. Open champion Aryna Sabalenka onto Arthur Ashe Stadium, the No. 2-seeded Alcaraz appeared more comfortable as the match went on and delivered the all-around game that has made him a fan favorite in New York. He held his hand to his ear to encourage louder cheers and pumped his fist after a pretty volley winner in the final game of the match.

Alcaraz could be even bigger favorite

Forced to miss the French Open and Wimbledon, Alcaraz decided he was good enough to come back at the U.S. Open, stepping right back into Grand Slam tennis without a warmup event.

“I had more nerves than usual, but just happy, because, for me, my goal here is to compete, to enjoy, and let’s see how my body’s going to react after the matches, after the competition again,” Alcaraz said.

“I don’t know how far I’m going to go in the tournament. I didn’t know if I was going to lose this one, if I’m going to make the second round, final. I don’t know how far I’m going to go. But what I just really want to do is enjoy every time that I’m going to walk into the court feeling the energy from the people, feel the competition.”

No man has won consecutive U.S. Open titles since Roger Federer took five in a row from 2004-08. If Alcaraz stays healthy, the seven-time Grand Slam champion may quickly become a huge favorite with top-ranked Jannik Sinner sidelined by a knee injury and No. 4 Novak Djokovic losing in the U.S. Open’s first round for the first time on Sunday.

With the tournament thrown into shock by that result — Djokovic had been 19-0 in the first round at Flushing Meadows, where he won four of his men’s record 24 Grand Slam titles — Sabalenka brought back some normalcy.

Sabalenka likes the look of her outfit

Sabalenka beat Camila Osorio 6-4, 6-4 to begin her bid to be the first player to win three straight U.S. Open championships since Serena Williams from 2012-14.

She has been to the last three U.S. Open finals, rebounding from a loss to Coco Gauff in 2023 by winning in 2024 and then topping Amanda Anisimova last year to repeat.

“I feel like this is one of my favorite stadiums,” Sabalenka told the crowd afterward. “I really experienced the best emotions here in this stadium.”

Sabalenka changed up her look from last time she played on Ashe. Her orange Nike outfit was covered by orange mesh, rather than the black mesh of last week in her mixed doubles match with Djokovic that drew some criticism on social media. Sabalenka dismissed the comments, saying all that mattered was she loved it, and turns out the reason for the change was simple.

“To be honest, I didn’t know that I have a day dress,” she said. “I thought I have a black dress with orange underneath. I figured (out) when I went to Nike that I actually have day session and night session, which is just like black and orange for the day.”

She must have certainly been happier with the level of tennis she delivered Monday, after a series of poor events coming into the U.S. Open. She was knocked out in the fourth round in both Toronto and Cincinnati, after being ousted at the same point at Wimbledon.

That has left Sabalenka needing help to retain the No. 1 ranking, even if she wins again in New York. No. 2 Elena Rybakina will pass her if she reaches the semifinals, and won’t even need to win any matches if Sabalenka fails to win the title.

Wawrinka says goodbye

Past U.S. Open champions who advanced included No. 8 Iga Swiatek and 2017 winner Sloane Stephens, before two-time champ Naomi Osaka won in two tiebreakers in a look inspired by former NBA superstar Allen Iverson. Stan Wawrinka lost to Matteo Berrettini in the final Grand Slam match before the three-time major champion from Switzerland, who won the title in 2016, retires at 41.

“I’m going to miss it for sure. I’m going to miss it big time,” Wawrinka said.

Another top-10 seed followed Djokovic out when No. 10 Arthur Fils, coming off the title in Cincinnati, was ousted by Stefanos Tsitsipas 4-6, 7-6 (3), 6-1, 6-4. Tsitsipas, who is unseeded at the U.S. Open for the first time, was asked if he can regain the form that catapulted the Greek to the No. 3 ranking and two losses to Djokovic in Grand Slam finals.

“Why not?” Tsitsipas said.

No. 8 Ben Shelton recovered from a miserable start in which he was broken three times in a 28-minute first set and beat Tallon Griekspoor 1-6, 6-1, 7-6 (3), 6-2. No. 11 Frances Tiafoe rallied to edge fellow American Martin Damm in five sets.

Other winners included No. 6 Linda Noskova, the Wimbledon champion; No. 7 seed Karolina Muchova, who lost to her fellow Czech in the final at the All-England Club, and No. 10 Anisimova. Sara Bejlek, another Czech and the No. 28 seed who stunned Sabalenka in Cincinnati, fell in three sets to Cristina Bucsa. BRIAN MAHONEY, NEW YORK, MDT/AP