Carlos Alcaraz returned to the court on September 1 in the men’s singles first round of the US Open in New York, United States.
The key point is that a player who had been away from singles competition for an extended period because of a wrist injury secured a straight-sets victory in his opening match.
This match marked the start of his title defense, as well as a comeback match in which Alcaraz needed to regain both his match feel and his physical condition.
3-Line Summary
1. Alcaraz won his comeback match on September 1
2. The Safiullin match ended with a 3-0 set score
3. Assessing his comeback requires consideration of both performance and consistency
First Singles Match: Defeating Safiullin 6-4, 6-4, 6-4
Spanish tennis player Carlos Alcaraz defeated Russia’s Roman Safiullin 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 in the first round of the US Open at Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York on September 1. The match lasted 2 hours and 22 minutes. vietnam.vn and VOI.ID described it as his singles comeback match after approximately 4 months away because of a wrist injury.
At 3-3 in the first set, Alcaraz seized control by converting a break with a forehand. Safiullin also created a break early in the second set, but Alcaraz regained momentum with drop shots and volleys before breaking again. The match’s outward appearance was a 3-0 result, but it was not entirely without the tension of a comeback match.
Alcaraz said after the match that he had been worried about whether he could last through a fourth or fifth set. After a long absence, what matters in a player’s first singles match is not one powerful shot, but whether he can maintain his body and judgment during a long match. The fact that he turned the doubts he mentioned into focus during the match gives this victory significance beyond simply advancing through the first round.
The Winners Count Was Equal, but Unforced Errors Decided the Match
According to a vietnam.vn report, the two players had the same number of winners, 28. The difference was in unforced errors. Alcaraz recorded 27, while Safiullin recorded 36. Rather than spectacular attacking numbers, the player who managed the rallies while making fewer mistakes took all three sets.
VOI.ID reported that Safiullin earned 6 break-point opportunities but converted only one, while Alcaraz saved 5 of them. For a player immediately after a comeback, responding in moments of danger is as important as the power of his shots. Alcaraz moved cautiously with his serve and forehand early on, but finished the match without clear signs of physical problems through the latter stages.
Alcaraz said he was scheduled to face Portugal’s Jaime Faria in his next match. However, this schedule reflects the content reported on September 1. Regardless of the tournament’s subsequent results, the Safiullin match remained a reference point for restarting the singles rhythm that had been interrupted by his wrist injury.
The Absence That Came After His Seventh Major Title
Martin Cid Magazine reported that Alcaraz completed the career Grand Slam by winning the Australian Open in January 2026. According to the report, he had won 7 times at the 4 major tournaments and set the youngest-ever record by completing the career Grand Slam at 22 years and 272 days old.
However, wrist tenosynovitis suffered at the Barcelona Open in April substantially changed his subsequent schedule. The report explained that Alcaraz was unable to compete in Madrid, Rome, the French Open, Queen’s Club, and Wimbledon. It also pointed out that ranking points are deducted for tournaments a player is unable to enter, meaning performance and ranking may not move in the same direction.
For that reason, the US Open first-round victory was closer to a first confirmation that he was regaining his competitive rhythm after the absence than an occasion to reprove his past championship record. The 3-0 set score and his response to break points in moments of danger were numbers showing that this beginning had not wavered.
References
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