By Richard Pagliaro | Monday, August 31, 2026
Photo credit: Dustin Satloff/USTA/Getty
NEW YORK—Tennis is all about timing.
Playing his first singles match in 139 days, Carlos Alcaraz kept proper pacing as efficiently as the Rolex clock stationed in the corner of the court.
Wearing a sleeveless Nike T-shirt, white sleeve wrapping his right arm and a wide smile after creative winners, Alcaraz showed plenty of muscle memory powering through an entertaining comeback conquest.
Playing his first match since April 14th in Barcelona, Alcaraz repelled Roman Safiullin 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 to score his eighth straight US Open triumph.
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, Alcaraz looked fit and fresh and exuded energy throughout.
The seven-time Grand Slam champion improved to 23-3 in 2026, including an 18-2 mark on hard courts. Alcaraz will face Jaime Faria in round two. Faria out-lasted American Jenson Brooksby in five sets yesterday.
Screaming “Vamos! Vamos” after wrapping this two hour, 22-minute win showed just how passionate Alcaraz was about this comeback triumph.
“Well for me, it’s been a really tough five months so being able to step on Arthur Ashe and compete again,” Alcaraz told ESPN’s Mary Joe Fernandez. “I couldn’t decide to come back to a better tournament than the US Open here in New York.
“It’s a very special place for me. I miss it, I miss the crowd energy, I miss everything.
“So I’m just really, really happy I was able to compete again.”
The 23-year-old Spaniard improved to 25-3 lifetime at the US Open—Alcaraz is the second man to post 25 wins in his first 28 Flushing Meadows matches since John McEnroe, who commentated on this match, went 26-2 in his first 28 US Open matches.
The right wrist injury that sidelined Alcaraz since April has largely healed as the Spaniard says he is finally pain free at the moment.
“It’s pain-free right now. I felt great,” Alcaraz said. “You know, I don’t know how it looked from outside, but from inside, my feeling was that I was hitting normal. I was playing pretty normal, playing my style, and yeah, and the arm, the wrist, everything felt great.
“I’m going to still taking care of it, obviously, these days and before the matches and everything, but, you know, I’m just really happy it’s pain-free finally.”
To be sure, there were signs of rust, expected given Alcaraz’s four-and-a-half month singles layoff.
Alcaraz double faulted on his first service point, just as he had in the opening point of his Mixed Doubles match partnering Serena Williams, should have been broken in his opening service game when Safiullin missed a forehand sitter off a net cord and was tested to deuce in his first four service games. Subduing the self-doubt, Alcaraz showed signs of his familiar explosive self.
“It was some doubts in thee match—I’m not going to lie,” Alcaraz said. “Thinking about [if] I’m going to last a match playing four sets, five sets. So I had that little bit of doubt.
“I tried to forget everything and focus on things I had to do and I just let it go and let’s see what’s going to happen in the match. Physically, I played really, really well.”
Still, given the fact this was his first singles match since tearing through eight of the last 10 games to dismiss Otto Virtanen, 6-4, 6-2 in his Barcelona opener, Alcaraz should be satisfied sweeping a dangerous opponent who toppled the former No. 1, 6-4, 6-2, at the 2023 Rolex Paris Masters indoors.
“I think the level of tennis is gonna be better for sure,” Alcaraz said. “I’m really really happy with my first official match in four months. I think I played really good tennis, I’m really happy about it.
“I’m pretty sure I’m gonna get better and better every day. The most, I’m proud of is mentally I was able to deal with everything with the nerves and the doubts in my head and keep it going. So I’m really proud about it.”
Today, Safiullin threatened to break in the opening service and stayed in step through six games.
Then creative disruptor Alcaraz dropped dynamite rocketing a 107 mph forehand winner to break for 4-3 and earn roars from the Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd, including musician and sneaker connoisseur Travis Scott, whose face flashed across the big screens after that break.
Alcaraz not only won pivotal points, he delivered style points.
Streaking into the front court, Alcaraz scooped a slick backhand half volley winner making the yellow ball flutter and float over net for a third set point. Alcaraz launched a massive serve to close the 50-minute opener with a shout.
Resetting, Safiullin sped through nine consecutive points—a love hold followed by a shutout break—for a 2-0 second-set lead.
Despite that superb stretch, Safiullin self-sabotaged spitting up a pair of double faults then missing a swing volley as Alcaraz broke back in the third game then cruised through the fourth to level at 2-all.
The Australian Open champion’s clever combination of crackling forehand strikes and angled drop volleys was unsettling for the world No. 99.
By the seventh game, Alcaraz was blistering bruising forehands. Alcaraz fired a forehand strike down the line breaking for 4-3. On his second set point, Alcaraz drilled a diagonal forehand winner snatching a two-set lead after 92 minutes.
On a sticky, humid day, both men left the court for a clothing change.
Confronting three break points to start the first set, Alcaraz dug in and denied them all flashing a clenched fist to his box after leveling the third set, 1-all, with a tough hold.
Overall, Alcaraz saved five of six break points.
Ripping forehands, Alcaraz broke for 2-1 and backed up the third-set break at 15, stretching his lead to 3-1.
Serving for the second round, Aclaraz drew resounding roar throwing down a smash and following with a drop shot.
Falling off his back foot, Alcaraz spun another forehand strike down the line for double match point.
When Safiullin sprayed one final forehand, Alcaraz eyed his box and screamed “Vamos! Vamos!” to a packed box that included his coaches, family, Travis Scott and Spanish Davis Cup captain and supreme fighter David Ferrer.
The comeback completed on the largest Slam stadium in the world where Alcaraz initially realized his maiden major dream.
“Here on this court I made my dream: First major, first time becoming No. 1 in the world,” Alcaraz said. “So every time I come here it’s really, really special.
“I really feel the love from the people. Like I say everytime I finish the tournament, the feeling I have is I can’t wait to be back. I’m just enjoying every time I come to New York.”
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