Carlos Alcaraz, ranked No. 3 in the world, overcame a challenge from Australian qualifier Li Tu in the first round of the US Open, winning in four sets: 6-2, 4-6, 6-3, 6-1.
Alcaraz, a four-time Grand Slam winner, began strong but faced adversity as he made unforced errors, leading to a lost second set. He regained momentum in the third set, breaking Tu’s serve to take a 4-3 lead and ultimately took control, finishing the match with an ace to set up a second-round clash against Botic Van De Zandschulp from the Netherlands.
Li Tu, who hails from Adelaide and stepped away from tennis for six years to pursue an education and establish a tennis academy, marked his first major appearance on the Arthur Armstrong Stadium after winning three qualifying matches.
Admitting he was somewhat surprised by Tu’s performance, Alcaraz commented, “He started the match a little nervous but after the first set he grew up, he started to play great tennis.” He expressed his intention to follow Tu’s career moving forward.
Despite a recent right ankle injury that Alcaraz sustained during practice, he showed no signs of limitation. He won the first set without much resistance, but Tu made a comeback in the second with a brilliant one-handed backhand that leveled the match, energizing the crowd.
As the match progressed in the humid conditions, Alcaraz’s power wore Tu down. After the match, Alcaraz thanked the crowd for their support, calling the atmosphere “electric.”
Having won both the French Open and Wimbledon this year, Alcaraz aims to capture his second US Open title, which would align him with Rod Laver and Rafael Nadal as the only men in the Open era to win those three Grand Slam titles in the same year. On Tuesday, he matched Nadal’s record of winning a match in each of his first 15 major tournaments.
In other first-round actions of the day, No. 11 Stefanos Tsitsipas faced disappointment once again at the US Open, losing 7-6 (5), 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 to Thanasi Kokkinakis. After a tightly contested match, Kokkinakis celebrated his first US Open win since 2019 and now prepares to face Nuno Borges, who progressed with a straight-sets victory.
Jannik Sinner, the No. 1 seed, began his campaign with a 2-6, 6-2, 6-1, 6-2 win over Mackenzie McDonald in his first match since news of failing two drug tests in March.
Fifth seed Daniil Medvedev overcame unseeded Dusan Lajovic with a score of 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-1. Medvedev maintained an impressive 27-0 record at the US Open after winning the first set.
Other notable results included victories for Arthur Fils over Learner Tien, a first-round exit for No. 19 Felix Auger-Aliassime against 18-year-old Jakub Mensik, and No. 10 Alex De Minaur’s progression after a win against Marcos Giron. Stan Wawrinka, a three-time Grand Slam champion, suffered a first-round defeat, losing to Mattia Bellucci. No. 14 Tommy Paul advanced by defeating Lorenzo Sonego.