Carlos Alcaraz eased past his first-round opponent under the lights at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Tuesday, marking a successful return from the wrist injury that forced him to skip much of the summer hard-court swing and had cast doubt over his chances of defending his US Open title.
Early Signs Of Rust
Alcaraz looked tentative in the opening set, dropping serve twice and repeatedly glancing at his heavily strapped right wrist between points, before settling into rhythm and reeling off the next three sets to close out the match in straight sets. He said afterward that the wrist felt "better than expected" but declined to say whether he was fully pain-free.
Draw Wide Open After Djokovic's Exit
Alcaraz's win came a day after Novak Djokovic's stunning first-round loss to unseeded Argentine Mariano Navone, an upset that eliminated the tournament's most experienced Grand Slam contender and left Alcaraz among the clearest favorites remaining in a suddenly wide-open men's draw.
What's Next
Alcaraz is scheduled to face a qualifier in the second round later this week, and his team said his workload would continue to be managed closely between matches. A deep run would set up a potential quarterfinal collision with several of the tournament's other seeded contenders, a matchup tennis analysts say could go a long way toward proving his wrist is fully behind him.
For now, Tuesday's win was enough to quiet, at least temporarily, the questions that have followed Alcaraz since he withdrew from his last two tune-up events, and to keep alive his bid for a third US Open title.