How did defending champion and No. 2 seed Carlos Alcaraz perform in his first match back from a nearly five month right wrist injury layoff at the 2026 US Open—including his 6 4, 6 4, 6 4 win over Roman Safiullin, his comments on returning at Arthur Ashe Stadium, the closely cont

Alcaraz’s return was an encouraging, pain-free straight-sets win, though the scoreline overstated how tight much of the match was. In his first singles match in 139 days, the defending champion beat Roman Safiullin 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 on Arthur Ashe Stadium after a right-wrist layoff of more than four months. 3467

Alcaraz’s return

• Alcaraz said he was nervous and excited to be back on Ashe, but above all was “really happy” to be able to compete again; afterward, he reported: “It’s pain free right now, I felt great.” 68
• The three identical 6-4 sets disguised a close contest: Safiullin stayed competitive in the overall points, so Alcaraz’s margin came from taking the pivotal moments rather than overwhelming his opponent. The available evidence does not provide a verified exact point total.
• The larger question was fitness, because the wrist injury had kept Alcaraz out since April and made this his first serious test after the layoff. His movement, shotmaking and lack of reported wrist pain were positive first indications, but one best-of-five match could not fully settle his ability to sustain a title defence. 168

Other first-round results

• Women’s No. 1 seed and defending champion Aryna Sabalenka began her attempt at a third consecutive US Open title with a victory over Colombia’s Camila Osorio. 7
• Amanda Anisimova, last year’s US Open runner-up to Sabalenka, cruised past fellow American Ashlyn Krueger 6-1, 6-3. 25
• Sixteen-year-old Russian Kristina Liutova was beaten in three sets by Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen; the supplied evidence does not establish the exact score.