Triumphant return: Carlos Alcaraz dominates US Open debut to begin his title defense

Bad Bunny's famous song says: If you want to have fun with charm and grace you only-have to live (where to?) One summer in-New York (New York!) . Carlos Alcaraz , who lost his voice at one of the Puerto Rican singer's concerts at Madrid, gave the thousands of fans who filled Arthur Ashe this Monday something to cheer about in the New York borough of Queens.

In the city of skyscrapers, where he reigned in 2022 and 2025 , Carlitos got off to a brilliant start on his quest to win his eighth Grand Slam title. Since 2008, with Roger Federer, no one has been able to defend the crown .

The player from Murcia is now six wins away after ending Roman Safiullin's resistance, 6-4, 6-4 and 6-4 . This Wednesday, in the second round, he will face the Portuguese Jaime Faria, No. 72 in the ATP rankings , who has just opened his win account in the fourth major of the calendar.

Since his debut in the majors, he has never failed to reach the second round. That makes 21 in a row, closing in on the Open Era record of his idol Rafael Nadal, with 34 .

Doubts about Alcaraz's on-court performance, after his 139 days of inactivity due to his wrist, were dispelled when he struck a winning forehand in the seventh game to earn his first "break" . The player from El Palmar celebrated it with a glance toward his bench. The benchmark for his tennis lies in the fluency of his forehand .

Safiullin also came out wearing a sleeve on his right arm, the same one the seven-time major champion has been using since he withdrew from the Cincinnati Masters 1000. It gives him greater confidence in his shot-making.

The Russian had the first break point in the second game . He then missed spectacularly with an easy ball into the net. He had a second chance afterward that he also squandered.

Samuel López was giving instructions to his protégé and did not have to resort to shouting or hand signals. That is because the tournament organizers have moved the benches closer to the corners of the main stadiums.

Safiullin's attempted comeback ​

Roman, with little to lose and much to gain, started hitting the ball as if there were no tomorrow. He broke Alcaraz’s serve to love and took a 2-0 lead in the second set .

The Podolsk-born tennis player had a point for 3-0 . But the balance of his unforced errors was greater than that of his winners. He does not distinguish between hitting hard and keeping it in.

Another winning forehand from the world number three gave him the third break . Fist raised. With the machine well-oiled, he accelerated toward victory. The organization closed the center court's retractable roof due to the threat of rain.

Carlitos had time to put on a show with a recital of volleys. He won 19 of the 24 he attempted to the astonished cries of the fans.