US Open: Carlos Alcaraz overcomes a difficult 2nd set and continues his third consecutive Grand Slam

His first opponent was more combative than expected, but Carlos Alcaraz is well on his way to the US Open.

The world number 3 beat Australian qualifier Li Tu 6-2, 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 in the first round at Flushing Meadows on Tuesday. He will face Botic van De Zandschulp in the second round on Thursday, the Dutchman having eliminated Denis Shapovalov earlier in the day.

Alcaraz looked set for a classic first-round win, but Tu then showed a form the Spaniard wasn’t quite ready for. Tu promised he would try to give Alcaraz “three, four, five sets of hell” before the match and he found that form in the second set.

Tu continued to serve against Alcaraz for part of the third set, but the talent disparity was ultimately too great to overcome. Tu is the first first-round opponent to take a set from Alcaraz at a Grand Slam since Wimbledon 2022. Alcaraz didn’t help his cause with 18 unforced errors in the set.

You continued to serve against Alcaraz for a game in the third set, but it took Alcaraz finding his feet to turn a potential upset into a laugher. He won the next nine games to snuff out the threat.

Alcaraz is bidding to win his third consecutive Grand Slam after winning the French Open and Wimbledon earlier this year. Another title this year would also be the 21-year-old’s fifth career Grand Slam and a return to the top in New York after losing to Daniil Medvedev in the semi-finals last year.

In the semifinals, Alcaraz will face either Medvedev or Jannik Sinner, barring a major upset, while Novak Djokovic will be waiting on the other side of the bracket. All three potential opponents represent interesting matchups: Medvedev for a rematch of last year, Sinner as the new world No. 1 and the only other man to win a Grand Slam this year, and Djokovic for a rematch of Alcaraz’s loss in the Olympic gold medal match earlier this month.

But Alcaraz has to get there first, as do the others. Djokovic predictably dominated the first round on Monday, while Medvedev and Sinner both dropped sets to unseeded opponents earlier on Tuesday.

Sinner, in particular, entered the tournament under a cloud of controversy after testing positive twice for a banned anabolic steroid earlier this year and avoiding a suspension. That may have been the cause of a slow start to the tournament against Mackenzie McDonald in a 2-6, 6-2, 6-1, 6-1 victory.