Carlos Alcaraz was given a scare by Australian qualifier Li Tu within the first spherical of the US Open on Tuesday earlier than occurring to seal a 6-2, 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 victory in New York.
4-time Grand Slam champion Alcaraz, who misplaced to Novak Djokovic within the remaining of the Paris Olympics, received off to a scorching begin earlier than errors started to pile up and he dropped the second set.
The Spaniard restored order by whipping a forehand to interrupt within the third set for a 4-3 lead and by no means regarded again, claiming the victory together with his eighth ace to arrange a second-round assembly with Dutch participant Botic Van De Zandschulp.
Tu, an Adelaide native who stepped away from tennis in 2014 for six years to get a level and begin a tennis academy, received three qualifying matches to earn his first look on Arthur Armstrong Stadium court docket towards the third seed.
“Apparent he stunned me just a little bit,” Alcaraz stated in an on-court interview with ESPN.
“He began the match just a little nervous however after the primary set he grew up, he began to play nice tennis.
“Now I’ll comply with him and his outcomes as a result of I am fairly positive I’ll be seeing him round very, very quickly.”
Alcaraz, who confirmed no indicators that his motion was restricted by a proper ankle damage he suffered throughout a follow session Saturday. received the primary set with ease and the subdued crowd appeared to resign itself to a one-sided match.
Nonetheless, Tu turned the tables with a passing shot that flew by the charging Alcaraz for a 5-4 lead within the second and broke serve with a stupendous one-handed backhand down the road to stage the competition, elevating his hand to his ear as the gang got here to life.
Alcaraz’s energy started to put on Tu down within the third set in scorching and humid circumstances, and the 21-year-old went on to say the win earlier than thanking the followers for creating an “electrical” environment.
“It is probably the most electrical courts, electrical crowds that I’ve performed in entrance of,” he stated.
“It is an honor to step on this court docket and have the folks get pleasure from my tennis as soon as once more.”
Alcaraz received the French Open in June and defeated Djokovic to triumph at Wimbledon a month later however was left dissatisfied after falling brief on the Paris Video games earlier than struggling a shock defeat to Gael Monfils on the Cincinnati Open. If he can add one other US Open title to the one he captured in 2022, Alcaraz would be a part of Rod Laver (1969) and Rafael Nadal (2010) as the one males to seize these three Grand Slam titles in the identical 12 months through the Open period.
On Tueaday, he joined Nadal as the one males within the Open period to win a match in every of his first 15 main appearances. Nadal received a match in every of his first 34 main appearances earlier than shedding within the first spherical at Wimbledon in 2013.
Elsewhere in males’s first-round motion Tuesday, No. 11 Stefanos Tsitsipas’ US Open woes continued as he suffered a 7-6 (5), 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 defeat to Thanasi Kokkinakis.
After shedding a detailed first set in a tiebreaker, Tsitsipas rallied to win the second and stage the match, however he gave the impression to be bothered by an stomach subject.
Tsitsipas, a two-time Grand Slam finalist, has by no means made it previous the third spherical at Flushing Meadows.
He additionally struggled main as much as the match, profitable simply considered one of his three matches on the Canadian Open and the Cincinnati Masters.
For Kokkinakis, it was his first win on the US Open since 2019.
“I had a five-set battle with him a few years in the past on the Australian Open, and I used to be anticipating a warfare,” Kokkinakis stated in his postmatch on-court interview. “It was bodily on the market, and I generally tend to typically drag these matches on and have some actual lengthy battles, however I simply tried to remain targeted, keep the course and simply tried to play each level.”
He’ll subsequent face Nuno Borges, a straight-sets winner over Federico Coria.
Jannik Sinner, the No. 1 seed on the lads’s aspect, performed his opening-round match at Arthur Ashe Stadium and emerged with a 2-6, 6-2, 6-1, 6-2 win over Mackenzie McDonald. It was Sinner’s first motion since phrase emerged that he had failed two drug checks in March however escaped suspension.
Fifth seed and former US Open champion Daniil Medvedev overcame a second-set wobble to beat unseeded Dusan Lajovic 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-1.
“Robust match. Dusan did play properly,” Medvedev stated. “The primary two units he was taking part in rather well. I am glad that I managed to maintain my stage. Within the second set, I really feel like I performed rather well, he simply performed higher. I saved my stage. He dropped just a little bit third and fourth set. I managed to play higher and higher from that.”
Medvedev owns a 27-0 document after profitable the primary set on the US Open, probably the most wins with no loss by any man within the Open period (since 1968).
In different males’s outcomes, France’s Arthur Fils beat American Learner Tien 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 6-2.
No. 19 Felix Auger-Aliassime was knocked out within the first spherical by 18-year-old Jakub Mensik, and No. 7 Hubert Hurkacz and No. 30 Matteo Arnaldi had been among the many males’s winners.
No. 25 Jack Draper reached the second spherical after his opponent, Zhang Zhizhen, retired on account of a left leg damage within the third set with the Briton main 6-3, 6-0, 4-0.
No. 10 Alex De Minaur of Australia confirmed he’s totally recovered from the hip damage that pressured him to withdraw from the Paris Video games final month by beating American Marcos Giron 6-3, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, whereas No. 16 Sebastian Korda defeated France’s Corentin Moutet 7-6 (3), 6-1, 6-0.
Stan Wawrinka didn’t take advantage of his main-draw wild card because the three-time Grand Slam champion misplaced 6-4, 7-6 (5), 6-3 to Mattia Bellucci.
No. 14 Tommy Paul topped Lorenzo Sonego 6-4, 6-2, 5-7, 6-2 within the remaining match of the evening.
The Related Press and Reuters contributed to this report.