Carlos Alcaraz was scared by Australian qualifier Li Tu in the first round of the US Open on Tuesday before claiming a 6-2, 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 victory in New York.
Four-time Grand Slam champion Alcaraz, who lost to Novak Djokovic in the final of the Paris Olympics, got off to a good start before his mistakes piled up and he lost the second set.
The Spaniard restored order by breaking with a forehand in the third set to take a 4-3 lead and never looked back, clinching victory with his eighth ace and securing a second round match against Dutch player Botic Van De Zandschulp.
Tu, an Adelaide native who took a six-year break from tennis in 2014 to complete a degree and set up a tennis academy, won three qualifying matches to face the third-seeded player on the Arthur Armstrong Stadium court for the first time.
“Of course he surprised me a little,” Alcaraz said in an on-court interview with ESPN.
“He started the match a little nervous, but after the first set he grew up and started playing great tennis.
“Now I’m going to follow him and his results because I’m pretty sure I’ll see him again very, very soon.”
Alcaraz showed no signs of being restricted by a right ankle injury sustained during practice on Saturday. He won the first set with ease and the subdued crowd seemed to accept a one-sided match.
But Tu turned the tables and took a 5-4 lead in the second set with a passing shot that flew past the charging Alcaraz. He broke serve with a beautiful one-handed backhand down the line to level the match. As the crowd came to life, he raised his hand to his ear.
In the third set, Alcaraz’s strength began to wear down Tu in the hot and humid weather, and the 21-year-old took the win and then thanked the fans for the “electrifying” atmosphere.
“This is one of the most electrifying places with the most electrifying crowds I have ever played in front of,” he said.
“It’s an honor to step onto this court and allow people to enjoy my tennis once again.”
Alcaraz won the French Open in June and beat Djokovic to triumph at Wimbledon a month later, but he was disappointed after failing at the Paris Games before suffering a surprise loss to Gael Monfils at the Cincinnati Open. If he can add another at the US Open to his title in 2022, Alcaraz would join Rod Laver (1969) and Rafael Nadal (2010) as the only men to win those three Grand Slam titles in the same year during the Open era.
On Tuesday, he joined Nadal as the only men in the Open Era to win a match in each of his first 15 major appearances. Nadal won a match in each of his first 34 major appearances before losing in the first round at Wimbledon in 2013.
Elsewhere in the men’s first round on Tuesday, No. 11 seed Stefanos Tsitsipas’s woes at the US Open continued as he suffered a 7-6 (5), 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 loss to Thanasi Kokkinakis.
After narrowly losing the first set in a tiebreak, Tsitsipas recovered to win the second set and level the match, but he appeared to be suffering from abdominal problems.
Tsitsipas, a two-time Grand Slam finalist, has never made it past the third round at Flushing Meadows.
He also had difficulties in the run-up to the tournament, winning only one of his three matches at the Canadian Open and the Cincinnati Masters.
For Kokkinakis, it was his first victory at the US Open since 2019.
“I had a five-set battle with him a few years ago at the Australian Open and I was expecting a fight,” Kokkinakis said in his post-match on-court interview. “It was physically demanding out there and I tend to drag these matches out sometimes and have some really long battles, but I just tried to stay focused, stay the course and just win every point.”
He will next face Nuno Borges, who won in straight sets against Federico Coria.
Jannik Sinner, the men’s No. 1, played his opening match at Arthur Ashe Stadium and won 2-6, 6-2, 6-1, 6-2 against Mackenzie McDonald. It was Sinner’s first appearance since it was revealed that he had failed two doping tests in March but still avoided a ban.
Fifth-seeded former US Open champion Daniil Medvedev overcame a second-set misfire to defeat unseeded Dusan Lajovic 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-1.
“Tough match. Dusan played well,” said Medvedev. “He played really well in the first two sets. I’m glad I was able to maintain my level. In the second set I think I played really well, he just played better. I maintained my level. He dropped off a bit in the third and fourth sets. From then on I was able to play better and better.”
Medvedev has a record of 27-0 after winning the first set at the US Open, the most wins without loss of any player in the Open Era (since 1968).
In the other men’s event, Frenchman Arthur Fils defeated American Learner Tien 6:4, 3:6, 6:1 and 6:2.
No. 19 Felix Auger-Aliassime was knocked out in the first round by 18-year-old Jakub Mensik, and winners in the men’s singles included No. 7 Hubert Hurkacz and No. 30 Matteo Arnaldi.
No. 25 Jack Draper reached the second round after his opponent Zhang Zhizhen retired due to a left leg injury in the third set when the Briton was leading 6-3, 6-0, 4-0.
Australian Alex De Minaur (number 10) showed that he has fully recovered from the hip injury that forced him to withdraw from the Paris Games last month with a 6-3, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 win over American Marcos Giron. Sebastian Korda (number 16) defeated Frenchman Corentin Moutet 7-6 (3), 6-1, 6-0.
Stan Wawrinka was unable to make the most of his wildcard for the main draw and lost 4:6, 6:7 (5) and 3:6 to Mattia Bellucci.
No. 14 Tommy Paul defeated Lorenzo Sonego in the final match of the evening 6:4, 6:2, 5:7, 6:2.
Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
