His first opponent was more feisty than expected, but Carlos Alcaraz is ready to compete at the US Open.
The world number 3 beat Australian qualifier Li Tu 6-2, 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 in the first round at Flushing Meadows on Tuesday. He will face Botic van De Zandschulp in the second round on Thursday, after the Dutchman dispatched Denis Shapovalov earlier on Tuesday.
Alcaraz appeared to be on track for a standard first-round blowout, but Tu then showed form the Spaniard wasn’t really ready for. You promised he would try to give Alcaraz”three, four, five rounds of hell” before the match and regained this form in the second set.
Tu remained on serve against Alcaraz for part of the third set, but the talent disparity ultimately proved too much to overcome. Tu is the first first-round opponent to get the better of Alcaraz in a Grand Slam since Wimbledon 2022. Alcaraz didn’t help his cause with 18 unforced errors in the set.
Tu remained on serve against Alcaraz for part of the third set, but it was enough for Alcaraz to find his feet to turn a potential upset into a laugh. He won the next nine matches to extinguish the threat.
Alcaraz is competing to win his third consecutive Grand Slam after winning the French Open and Wimbledon earlier this year. Another title this year would also be the fifth Grand Slam of the 21-year-old’s career and a return to the top in New York after losing to Daniil Medvedev in the semi-finals last year.
The draw places Alcaraz against Medvedev or Jannik Sinner in the semi-finals, barring a major surprise, with Novak Djokovic waiting on the other side of the draw. The three potential opponents represent intriguing matchups: Medvedev for a rematch of last year, Sinner as the new world number 1 and only other man to win a Grand Slam this year, Djokovic for a rematch of Alcaraz’s defeat in the Olympic gold medal game earlier this year. month.
But first, Alcaraz has to get there, like the others. Djokovic as expected, sailed in the first round on Monday, while Medvedev and Sinner both lost sets to unseeded opponents earlier on Tuesday.
Sinner, in particular, entered the tournament under a cloud of controversy after having tested positive twice for a banned anabolic steroid earlier this year and avoiding suspension. That could have been the cause of a slow start against Mackenzie McDonald in a 2-6, 6-2, 6-1, 6-1 win.