Carlos Alcaraz recovered from a slow start to book his place in the third round of the US Open, while defending champion Aryna Sabalenka powered through her second-round match in dominant fashion on Wednesday.
Spain’s Alcaraz, the No. 2 seed, overcame Portugal’s 72nd-ranked Jaime Faria 4-6, 6-0, 6-3, 6-2 in his first tournament since a wrist injury sidelined him in April.
The 23-year-old, who won his seventh Grand Slam title at the Australian Open in January, returned to New York with questions surrounding his fitness after missing both Roland Garros and Wimbledon during a four-month layoff.
After opening the tournament with a straight-sets victory over Roman Safiullin, Alcaraz found himself under early pressure from Faria, whose powerful serve helped him secure the first break of the match for a 4-3 lead after Alcaraz mishit a forehand.
Faria held his advantage to take the opening set, but Alcaraz quickly raised his level and began dictating play as his Portuguese opponent struggled to respond.
Alcaraz Regains His Composure
Reflecting on the match, Alcaraz admitted that he briefly lost his rhythm after failing to convert an early break opportunity.
“Tough match for me,” Alcaraz said, adding that after failing to convert an early break point he briefly lost his composure.
“After that I was in a rush. I did’t take time, I wasn’t patient and that obviously cost me the break,” he said. “I tried to stay calm … think good things are going to happen again.”
The Spaniard did exactly that, taking control of the contest and dropping just two games across the final three sets.
Sabalenka Eyes Historic US Open Three-Peat
Sabalenka was even more convincing, racing past Russian qualifier Polina Iatcenko 6-1, 6-1 in just 53 minutes.
The Belarusian, who is chasing a rare third consecutive US Open title, produced 24 winners and combined her trademark baseline power with an increasingly effective net game.
Sabalenka lost only four points on serve in the opening set and was broken once in the second, allowing Iatcenko to claim her only game of the set. She immediately responded by winning the next three games to close out the match.
“Happy with the level I played today, happy with the focus,” said Sabalenka, who will face Uzbekistan’s Kamilla Rakhimova for a place in the fourth round.
The world No. 1 has not won a title since completing the Indian Wells-Miami double in March.
Pegula and Medvedev Advance
World No. 3 Jessica Pegula also moved into the third round with an emphatic victory, defeating former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin 6-3, 6-1 in just 56 minutes.
Pegula, the 2024 US Open runner-up, dropped only seven points on serve and remains one of three players capable of taking the top spot in the world rankings from Sabalenka during the tournament.
“I was just trying to stay focused on what I needed to do,” said Pegula, who will next face former finalist Leylah Fernandez of Canada.
Fernandez advanced with a 6-4, 6-1 victory over Thailand’s Mananchaya Sawangkaew.
Seventh-seeded Daniil Medvedev also secured his place in the next round, defeating American wild card Sebastian Gorzny 6-1, 6-3, 7-5.
Medvedev has struggled during the hard-court tournaments leading into the US Open but looked much more comfortable against the 731st-ranked American.
Shelton Wins Another Tough Battle
Eighth-seeded American Ben Shelton survived a tense contest against former world No. 6 Hubert Hurkacz, winning 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (7/3), 7-5.
Frances Tiafoe, the No. 11 seed, also progressed after overcoming Japanese qualifier Rei Sakamoto 6-3, 7-6 (7/2), 7-5.
However, American contender Brandon Nakashima suffered an early exit. The 16th seed was beaten by compatriot Alex Michelsen, ranked 46th in the world, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4.
Argentina’s Mariano Navone continued his impressive run after his stunning five-set victory over Novak Djokovic, defeating Italy’s Matteo Berrettini 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (7/4).
Rain Continues to Disrupt Play
Rain once again interrupted matches outside the covered Arthur Ashe and Louis Armstrong Stadiums.
Sixth-seeded Australian Alex de Minaur finally began his campaign after his first-round match was postponed from Tuesday. However, another rain delay interrupted his match before he eventually defeated Italy’s Andrea Guerrieri 6-2, 6-2, 6-4.
China’s lucky loser Bu Yunchaokete also produced a surprise result, defeating 12th-seeded Spaniard Rafael Jodar 6-2, 6-1, 6-1.
Jodar struggled throughout the match, producing 37 unforced errors compared with just 15 winners.
The 19-year-old had entered the tournament as one of the rising names on the ATP Tour after winning the Marrakech title this year and reaching the final in Washington and the semi-finals in Montreal in recent weeks.
