Alcaraz advances to second round of US Open

September 01, 2026 / 9:07 AM

Sharjah 24: World No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz of Spain made a strong start to his US Open title defence, the fourth Grand Slam tournament of the year, with a 6-4 straight-sets win over Russian Roman Safiullin in his first singles match in over four months.

Alcaraz returns to action with confident victory

Alcaraz executed a disciplined attacking game plan, securing the victory in two hours and 22 minutes. The Spaniard showed no lingering effects from the wrist injury that sidelined him for the last two Grand Slam tournaments.

Spanish star delighted to be back in New York

Alcaraz admitted he entered the match with some "doubts," but said in an on-court interview that he was very happy to be back in New York, where he won the first of his seven Grand Slam titles.

"I missed the fans, I missed the atmosphere, I missed the competition, I missed everything," he said. "I'm very happy to be back in competition."

Although Safiullin, known for his power from the baseline, had previously defeated Alcaraz, he was only able to keep pace with the Spaniard in all three sets without appearing to seriously threaten him.