Defending US Open champion and world Number 2 Carlos Alcaraz returned to Arthur Ashe Stadium on Monday night and started the 2026 US Open with a dominating win. He was facing Roman Safiullin in the first round and put on a solid performance to win 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 to begin his title defence. He returned after 139 days away from competitive singles tennis. The wrist injury that forced him out of Barcelona in April had kept him sidelined through the clay and grass seasons and the North American hard-court swing. The win keeps Carlos Alcaraz’s perfect first-round Grand Slam record intact and sets up a second-round meeting with Portugal’s Jaime Faria.

Alcaraz looked sharp enough in his comeback match. He moved freely and produced plenty of his trademark shot-making to keep the contest under control. After the match he was open about how difficult the layoff had been. “It’s been a really tough five months for me. I missed the crowd, the energy, I missed competition, I missed everything. I’m just really happy I was able to compete again.” 

He also admitted the mental side of the comeback was tough. “There were some doubts during the match, I’m not going to lie. Am I going to last a match? Am I going to last playing four or five sets? I tried to forget everything. I tried to enjoy it.”

 

Alcaraz Improves Grand Slam First-Round Record to 21-0 

Alcaraz started really well and found his form in the opening set, saving early break points and settling into a rhythm. He put in some trademark cross-court forehands and the occasional drop shot. Both players held their serve in the first six games. Alcaraz got a break in the seventh game and he closed out the set comfortably to win the first set 6-4. Safiullin briefly played well at the start of the second after breaking Alcaraz early and taking a 2-0 lead. But Alcaraz responded immediately. He broke back, then broke again later in the set to take control and won the second set 6-4 

During the third set, Alcaraz looked good and dictated most rallies, mixing power with touch and moving freely around the court. He held his serve comfortably and broke him once to seal the third set 6-4 and picked up a straight set win. He did a smash-volley combination on match point that sealed the win. It was a very good match for the World Number 2 after missing so many matches due to injury. With this win, he has improved his Round 1 record to 21-0 having never lost a Round 1 match in a Slam in his entire career. He will be up against Jamie Faria in the second round who beat Brooksby. This will be the first time these two players will be meeting. Alcaraz is looking to defend his US Open title.