By Richard Pagliaro | Friday, September 4, 2026
Photo credit: Antoine Couvercelle/ROLEX
NEW YORK—Dancing balls floated in front of Carlos Alcaraz’s face.
Alcaraz faced the flurry with fast hands and smiling intensity.
Juggling a trio of tennis balls in his pre-match warm-up, Alcaraz conjured a convincing win on Arthur Ashe Stadium today.
The reigning US Open champion broke serve seven times in a 6-3, 6-4, 6-1 sweep of world No. 113 Wu Yibing to power into the US Open fourth round for the fifth time in six Flushing Meadows appearances.
It is Alcaraz’s 17th consecutive Grand Slam victory, including his 10th in a row in New York City where he out-dueled archrival Jannik Sinner in the 2025 final last September.
Alcaraz, who was sidelined from the sport since April nursing a right wrist injury, is rapidly making up for lost time in his return. Playing his first match since April 14th in Barcelona, Alcaraz repelled Roman Safiullin 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 in his US Open opener on Monday.
Today, Alcaraz struck with conviction and called his level “really high,” which exceeded his pre-tournament expectations.
“To be honest, I’m better than I thought,” Alcaraz told ESPN’s Mary Joe Fernandez afterward. “Physically I thought I was going to be bad. After the first match, I’m recovering really well.
“I’m doing great things off the court to be in a good state. I think my level is good. Everytime I step on the court I give it all. I just try to improve and be better every match. Hopefully in the next round I’ll be a just a bit better.
“But I think right now my level is really high. I think a couple of mistakes I did today that hopefully not going to make it next round.”
The fourth round shapes up as a blockbuster between Alcaraz and popular American Tommy Paul.
Playing on Louis Armstrong Stadium, Paul showed his stamina and finishing skills rallying past 15th-seeded Alexander Bublik, 6-4, 3-6, 6-7(4), 6-1, 6-3.
The 20th-seeded Paul converted six of eight break points and withstood 16 aces from the big-serving Bublik in a three hour, 13-minute triumph.
The 23-year-old Spaniard is 6-2 lifetime vs. Paul, including a 7-6(6), 6-4, 7-5 triumph in the Australian Open fourth round in January which came nearly seven months after Alcaraz permitted just five games pounding Paul in the 2025 Roland Garros quarterfinals.
“Obviously he’s gonna play at home, it’s gonna be an advantage for him,” Alcaraz said. “Hopefully, he’s gonna be tired a little bit from today’s match.
“I’ll try to return better and as I said I missed a couple of forehands. I’m not happy about it. Hopefully next round I’m gonna be better than ever.”
Defending champion Alcaraz, bidding to become the first man to successfully defend the US Open since one of his tennis heroes, Roger Federer, captured five straight Flushing Meadows championships from 2004-2008,
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