TENNIS – Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz won his first singles match in 139 days, while Aryna Sabalenka got her bid for a third straight U.S. Open title off to a winning start to light up the second day of the year’s final Grand Slam.
Former champion Iga Swiatek and last year’s runner-up Amanda Anisimova also advanced with impressive victories while Stefanos Tsitsipas served up an upset by knocking out 10th seed Arthur Fils on a sunny afternoon in New York.
Alcaraz’s condition was one of the tournament’s biggest question marks after his long spell out due to a wrist injury but the Spaniard enjoyed a comfortable return to action with a 6-4 6-4 6-4 win over Russian Roman Safiullin.
“You don’t know what’s going to happen in the match after 4-1/2 months almost. You don’t know what’s going to happen in your body, in your mind, everything. It’s totally different,” Alcaraz told reporters.
The second seed’s win ensured some star power remained in the men’s field.
Novak Djokovic’s shock defeat on Sunday left another hole in a men’s draw already without injured world number one Jannik Sinner.
Earlier at Arthur Ashe Stadium, Sabalenka looked on her way to ending a frustrating patch of poor form with a 6-2 6-4 win over Colombia’s Camila Osorio that earned her a clash with Russian Polina Iatcenko in the second round.
American Anisimova, whom Sabalenka beat in the final last year, got her campaign off to a good start on her 25th birthday with a 6-1 6-3 win over compatriot Ashlyn Krueger at Louis Armstrong Stadium.
Greece’s Tsitsipas upset Cincinnati winner Fils 4-6 7-6(3) 6-1 6-4 in an early match on the same court, booking a second-round meeting with South African Lloyd Harris.
“It’s very easy to not feel confident, especially when you haven’t beaten top players in a long time,” Tsitsipas said. “I’m ecstatic about today. It’s an important, good victory for me, for my confidence.”
Seven matches that were suspended on the outer courts on Sunday due to rain resumed on Monday, as organisers benefited from the extended three-day first-round schedule after expanding the main draw to 15 days in 2025.
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