Alcaraz's Return Yields Dominant US Open Victory
Defending US Open champion Carlos Alcaraz marked his competitive return with a commanding straight-sets win over Roman Safiullin after four months sidelined by a wrist injury.
Carlos Alcaraz, the defending US Open champion, returned to competitive tennis with a commanding 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 victory over Roman Safiullin on opening day, per Sky Sports. The straight-sets win was Alcaraz's first match in over four months, a return that follows a wrist injury that had sidelined him since April.
The completeness of the win—three identical set scores—underscored how efficiently he moved through it. For a defending champion coming back from such a layoff, a clean opening is the foundation a title defence needs. Safiullin offered little resistance as Alcaraz advanced without alarm, a sign he has weathered the injury well.
Four months away from the tour is a significant absence, and the ease of his return should quiet questions about rust or fitness as the tournament deepens. A healthy, confident defending champion changes the shape of the draw around him.
Elsewhere on a busy opening day at Flushing Meadows, other seeds progressed. Per Sky Sports, Stefanos Tsitsipas outlasted Cincinnati Open champion Arthur Fils 4-6, 7-6 (7-3), 6-1, 6-4, dropping the first set before taking control through the second-set tie-break and running away with the last two.
Cameron Norrie's tournament, by contrast, ended almost before it began. The British player lost to Luca Van Assche 7-6, 2-6, 2-6, 3-6, per Sky Sports—a third consecutive first-round Grand Slam exit in 2026, and a run of early defeats that has come to define his year at the majors.