Carlos Alcaraz looked befuddled, even a bit lost at times. He struggled to capitalize on multiple opportunities, routine backhand volleys pushing wide and his usually sharp groundstrokes flying long, a hot start devolving into an upset alert against an unheralded opponent.
But the 2022 US Open champion steadied himself when he needed to most, engaging the crowd and harnessing his unwieldy game to ease past Australian qualifier Li Tu, 6-2, 4-6, 6-3, 6-1, and pull into Round 2.
“I enjoy every single time I play here in New York,” Alcaraz said on court after the match. “It is one of the most electric crowds I play in front of. For me, it’s a huge honor to play here once again.”
The two men entered the Tuesday night opener in Arthur Ashe Stadium as a study in contrasts: Alcaraz, the 21-year-old four-time Grand Slam champion with a reputation as a big-match player, a former world No. 1 and the No. 3 seed who had never fallen in the opening round of a major; Tu, a 28-year-old former youth tennis coach playing in just his second Grand Slam main-draw match, the world No. 186 having saved two match points in qualifying to advance to this stage.
The match went according to form at the outset, Alcaraz sprinting to a 4-0 lead in under 15 minutes, easily capturing the first set and going up a break in the second set. But Tu fought back gamely, turning away repeated break-point opportunities (four of five in the second set) and breaking the heavy favorite in consecutive service games to steal the frame.
The third set looked like a repeat, with Tu dancing in and out of trouble and Alcaraz’s frustration growing. Everything turned at 3-3, Alcaraz finally consolidating a break point and following it with an easy hold. From there, the rout was on, the No. 3 seed steadily finding the range and bringing the New York crowd to life with his trademark mix of on-the-sprint winners and booming forehands.
“I had to accept that I lost the second set and had to clear my mind,” Alcaraz, who finished with 50 winners to 30 unforced errors, said in a post-match interview with ESPN. “I had chances in the second set that I didn’t take, but I knew I was playing well, hitting the ball well. It was a few mistakes, and I tried not to make the same mistakes in the third set than I made in the second set and try to make it harder for him, to push him to the limit and be really focused on every ball.”
The victory Tuesday night snaps a modest if still rare two-match losing streak for Alcaraz, who lost the gold-medal match at the Olympics (to Novak Djokovic) and his opening match in Cincinnati (to Gael Monfils).
It also keeps alive his dream of a third major on the year, after titles earlier this summer at Roland Garros and the All England Club, and a second US Open title to pair with his 2022 maiden Grand Slam championship. If he accomplishes the feat, Alcaraz would join Rod Laver (1969) and Rafael Nadal (2010) as the only men in the Open Era to win the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open in the same year.
Next up for the Spaniard is a potentially tricky second-rounder against Botic van De Zandschulp, the 2021 US Open quarterfinalist and former world No. 22 who dispatched 2020 US Open quarterfinalist and former Top-10 player Dennis Shapovalov in the opening round.
MATCH POINT: The victory Tuesday night was Alcaraz’s 60th Grand Slam singles victory in his career, a milestone reached in just 70 matches. He is the second-quickest man to 60 major victories in the Open Era, trailing only John McEnroe, who did so in 69 matches.
