Carlos Alcarazsmile againUS Openand he does it with a convincing debut victory against the RussianRoman Safiullindefeated with a clear 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 after more than four months of absence from the circuit.
“I missed everything. They have been almost five difficult months – declared the Spaniard at the end of the meeting -. I had lost faith and everything. Now I’m happy to have found all this again. Physically I’m fine and I hope to improve game after game.”
The return after 139 days of stoppage
The world number 3 is back on the pitch139 daysfrom the injury sustained toBarcelonaoffering encouraging signals on the state ofright wristthe physical problem that had forced him to stop since April.
On the prestigious field ofArthur Ashe StadiumAlcaraz showed good athletic condition and growing confidence in his shots, receiving support from the crowdFlushing Meadowsthroughout the match.
A convincing debut against Safiullin
The debut was not without pitfalls.Roman SafiullinIn fact, he had already shown in the past that he could put the Spaniard in difficulty and the precedents between the two were in perfect balance. Despite the long period of inactivity, Alcaraz managed the match with authority, imposing his own rhythm from the baseline and closing the match without conceding a set to his opponent.
In the days preceding his debut, the Spanish champion had explained that he felt ready to compete at the highest level again thanks to the positive sensations that emerged in training.
The victory against Safiullin seems to confirm these impressions and represents an important step forward in the recovery path of the former world number one, who aims to defend the title won last year.
In the second round he challenges Jaime Faria
Thanks to the success achieved in the first round,Carlos Alcarazwill now face the PortugueseJaime Fariain an attempt to continue their journey in the New York tournament.
The champion ofAustralian Openbecame the youngest tennis player in history to complete theCareer Grand Slamwill try to progressively find rhythm, continuity and brilliance to once again aim to win one of the most prestigious tournaments on the circuit.