by His first opponent was more feist than expected, but Carlos Alcaraz is offbeat and short at the US Open.
The world No. 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 Dutch dispatch of 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 exactly ready for. Tu promised he would try to give Alcaraz “three, four, five hell of a set” before the match and found that form in the second set.
Tu remained on serve against Alcaraz for part of the third set, but the talent disparity was ultimately too much to overcome. TU is the first opening opponent to take on an Alcaraz setting in a Grand Slam since 2022 Wimbledon. Alcaraz didn’t help his cause with 18 unforced errors overall.
Tu remained on serve against Alcaraz for part of the third set, but all it took was Alcaraz finding his feet to turn a potential upset into a laugh. He won the next nine games to quell the threat.
Alcaraz is competing to win his third consecutive Grand Slam after taking the French Open and Wimbledon earlier this year. Another title this year would also be the fifth slam of the 21-year-old’s career and a return to the top in New York after losing to Daniil Medvedev in the semifinals last year.
The draw has Alcaraz facing either Medvedev or Jannik Sinner in the semifinals, barring a major upset, with Novak Djokovic waiting on the other side of the bracket. The three potential opponents represent intriguing matchups: Medvedev for a rematch of last year, Sinner as the new world No. 1 and only other man to win a slam this year, Djokovic for a rematch of the loss of Alcaraz in the Olympic gold medal match earlier this month.
But first, Alcaraz has to get there, just like everything else. Djokovic ran predictably through the first round on Monday, while Medvedev and Sinner both dropped sets against unrescued opponents earlier on Tuesday.
The Sinner in particular entered the tournament under a cloud of controversy after twice testing positive for a banned anabolic steroid earlier this year and avoiding a 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.
