US Open 2026: Alcaraz already the favourite upon his return?

Joy and relief after Charly’s pain-free start

Of course, the 139 refers to the time since his previous match in Barcelona, before a right wrist injury sidelined the 23-year-old for over four months, missing the likes of Roland-Garros and Wimbledon along the way.

The flowing locks – his longer hair has caused quite the stir in New York City and online – the trademark smile beaming, all seemed well for the No.2 seed during his onsite preparations at Flushing Meadows.

First things first, the physical fears don’t appear to be there – Alcaraz has been free to fire on all cylinders in his opening two matches. On Monday, the 2024 and 2025 Roland-Garros champion took to Arthur Ashe Stadium and dominated proceedings 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 against the experienced Roman Safiullin. It was pretty much the perfect comeback, with very little drama and no hesitation with some sprinkling of stardust tennis. One down in the US Open title defence, six to go.

"After almost four and a half months away, you never know how your body or mind will react," Alcaraz told reporters. " But I tried to take each game as it came, to be comfortable and enjoy every point, feeling the love of the crowd. I felt great physically and I felt like I was hitting normally. I played the way I usually do, staying true to my style, and everything went well with my arm and wrist.

“Of course, I'll continue to take care of it in the coming days and before matches, but I'm just very happy, finally, to be pain-free.”

Good news all round then.

Well, onto round two, with a bow and arrow celebration on match point portraying a player on target.

Despite losing the first set to the ever-improving world No.72 Jaime Faria, the reigning champion motored into the Last 32 with a 4-6, 6-0, 6-3, 6-2 scoreline.

Denied top-tier tennis for four months, a four sets rumble enabled the seven-time major winner to keep adding the reps load to his game.

“I wanted to be quick, to be honest. I'm not going to lie,” stated Alcaraz. “But at the end, I realised that playing four sets, it was really good for me, to test everything physically, to test my body, how I feel, and tomorrow how I'm going to feel after this match, after four sets.

“I'm just happy that I just was able to play good tennis.”

The on court and recovery examinations have been a big tick for Charly. The challenges and opponents will take a major step up, but for now, it’s all smiles in Team Alcaraz.

Some things never change.

True contenders fail to keep up

No.2 seed Alcaraz headlines the bottom half of the men’s draw which has lost two key figures.

Four-time US Open winner Novak Djokovic succumbed to physical issues and an inspired Mariano Navone by going the distance in the first round. That box office semi-final has now been erased.

Also, recent Cincinnati Masters 1000 champion Arthur Fils looked destined for a deep run, however, he fell to the reinvigorated Stefanos Tsitsipas at the first hurdle.

The top half of the draw has also seen standout seeds sent home. No.3 Félix Auger-Aliassime, No.6 Alex De Minaur, No.12 Rafael Jodar and No.13 Lorenzo Musetti are now all out. The top seed Alexander Zverev remains in contention, but only just. The Roland-Garros champion has endured two five set marathons, eventually navigating past Lorenzo Sonego and Quentin Halys across nine and a half hours on court. Can the German sufficiently replenish his resources over the next few rounds?

Carlitos’ current path

The next obstacle for Alcaraz is the firecracker power play from China’s Wu Yibing. Into the Last 16 and either No.15 seed Alexander Bublik or American Tommy Paul will attempt to push Alcaraz’s comeback credentials to the limit.

The world No.3 won his only previous match against the mercurial Bublik and leads Paul 6-2 in their rivalry, including all three Grand Slam duels.

Further down the track, Alcaraz also has positive records over the other seeded contenders in the bottom half of the draw, such as Daniil Medvedev (6-3), Ben Shelton (3-0) and Frances Tiafoe (2-1). Can anyone rise to the occasion?

Alcaraz is evidently energised by finally competing again, competing with a sense of freedom because he knows he hasn’t had any match preparation.

A fully recharged and buoyant Alcaraz is a dangerous prospect for the rest of the field.

➡️ See the full men’s draw HERE