Carlos Alcaraz Set to Begin US Open Title Defense Against Roman Safiullin
Carlos Alcaraz is ready to commence his US Open title defense, facing Russia’s Roman Safiullin in what marks the first significant test of his fitness after a prolonged wrist injury. Alcaraz, the second seed, clinched the men’s title in New York last year, but he has not participated in a competitive singles match for over four months due to inflammation in his right wrist.
Despite his extended break, many still consider the 23-year-old Spaniard the favorite to win again, especially with rival Jannik Sinner absent from the tournament due to a knee injury. Alcaraz and Sinner have dominated the tour over the past two seasons, making Alcaraz’s potential comeback from injury all the more impressive.
The seven-time major champion missed both the French Open and Wimbledon this season due to his wrist issue, although it did not necessitate surgery. He made his return to competitive play earlier this week, participating in the US Open mixed doubles alongside Serena Williams.
During that exhibition, wearing a long compression sleeve on his right arm, Alcaraz didn’t appear entirely convincing, pacing himself on serves and returns as he adjusted to match conditions. With a Grand Slam singles match operating on a five-set format, the physical demand will notably increase. Safiullin, known for his strong serve and aggressive groundstrokes, could provide a challenging start for Alcaraz.
The 29-year-old Safiullin recently reached the fourth round at Wimbledon, where he faced Novak Djokovic. His style may complicate Alcaraz’s efforts, pushing the Spaniard to prove his resilience at the baseline. If Alcaraz advances past Safiullin, he could confront formidable opponents in later rounds, including the steady American Tommy Paul and the unpredictable Kazakh Alexander Bublik.
Potential quarter-final adversaries include athletic Frenchman Arthur Fils and powerful server Ben Shelton, while a semi-final matchup with Djokovic looms as a possibility. Alcaraz’s team and he remain uncertain about how his wrist will cope with the rigors of five-set matches in the heat of a Grand Slam.
As the tournament opens, the implications of a strenuous start and a demanding second week will become clearer.
Other Major Matchups Announced
Novak Djokovic’s quest for a record-setting 25th Grand Slam singles title begins against Argentina’s Mariano Navone. Should he progress, he faces tough competition in the second round from either Italy’s Matteo Berrettini or three-time major champion Stan Wawrinka, who enters the tournament following a substantial wildcard.
Alexander Zverev, elevated to the top seed after Sinner’s withdrawal, will face Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego in his opening match. Meanwhile, defending women’s champion Aryna Sabalenka will square off against Colombia’s Camila Osorio.
Sabalenka, holding the WTA rankings’ top position for 97 weeks, remains aware of the competition from reigning Australian Open champion Elena Rybakina, who is up against American wildcard Thea Frodin.
Venus Williams, at 46 years old, has received a wildcard despite losing all 10 of her matches this season. She will compete against 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin in the first round.
British Players’ First-Round Encounters
Surprise Wimbledon semi-finalist Arthur Fery makes his Grand Slam debut against Italian 13th seed Lorenzo Musetti. Fery’s impressive run at Wimbledon elevated him into the world’s top 40, a significant milestone as he prepares for this competition.
The British contingent has been affected by the absence of Jack Draper and Emma Raducanu, as Draper withdrew due to a long-term arm injury, while Raducanu is sidelined with a shin fracture sustained earlier.
British men’s number one Cameron Norrie, entering as the 29th seed, will play France’s Luca van Assche in his opening match. Jan Choinski, who recently broke into the world’s top 100, also represents Britain in the men’s draw, facing Dutch player Botic van de Zandschulp.
Katie Boulter is the only British woman in the main draw, matched against American wildcard Carol Young Suh Lee. If Boulter triumphs, she could encounter Wimbledon finalist Karolina Muchova in the second round.
In another notable mention, Toby Samuel reached the main draw of the US Open for the first time after his opponent retired during their final qualifying match due to lightning delays.
As the anticipation builds for the matches, five more British players were scheduled to play their final qualifying rounds, with weather delays pushing some matches to the next day.
Carlos Alcaraz will start his US Open title defence against Russia’s Roman Safiullin in the first serious examination of his fitness following a long-term wrist injury.
Second seed Alcaraz, who won the men’s title in New York last year, has not played a competitive singles match for more than four months because of inflammation in his playing right wrist.
Advertisement
Despite his lack of action, the 23-year-old Spaniard is still considered by many as the favourite to triumph again – particularly because his great rival Jannik Sinner is not playing due to a knee injury.
The pair may have been a cut above the rest of the tour for the past two seasons, but Alcaraz coming back from a prolonged absence with such a delicate injury and beating the rest of the field – even though he is a generational talent – would be remarkable.
The seven-time major champion missed this season’s French Open and Wimbledon as a result of the issue, which did not require surgery, before making his return to court in the US Open mixed doubles alongside Serena Williams earlier this week.
Wearing a long compression sleeve on his right arm, Alcaraz did not look totally convincing in the exhibition-like event. Understandably, he appeared to be holding back on his serve and return as he eased himself back into matchplay.
Advertisement
There is no doubt that a Grand Slam singles bout played over five sets will be another step up physically. Safiullin, with a hefty serve and attacking groundstrokes, is not an ideal opponent to start against.
The 29-year-old Russian, who reached the Wimbledon fourth round last month before falling to Novak Djokovic, is likely to take time away from Alcaraz, test the Spaniard’s durability at the baseline and generally make him feel uncomfortable.
Predicting how Slam draws will pan out is always a fool’s errand, but if Alcaraz does get past Safiullin and goes as far as the fourth round, there are more potential opponents who appear daunting given the length of his absence.
If you analyse Alcaraz’s projected draw by the seedings, he could face rock solid American Tommy Paul or unpredictable Kazak Alexander Bublik in the last 16.
Advertisement
Athletic Frenchman Arthur Fils and huge-serving Ben Shelton are potential quarter-final opponents. Djokovic could lie in wait in the semi-finals.
Nobody outside of Alcaraz and his core team knows how his wrist is likely to stand up to the rigours of playing five-set matches in the heat of a Grand Slam tournament.
A challenging start at Flushing Meadows and a potentially intimidating second week will tell us.
Who have the other big names drawn?
Defending women’s champion Aryna Sabalenka will face Camila Osorio first [Getty Images]
Djokovic’s latest quest for a standalone record 25th Grand Slam singles title starts against Argentina’s Mariano Navone.
If he gets through that match, the 39-year-old Serb faces a challenging second-round match against either Italy’s Matteo Berrettini – who he beat in the 2021 Wimbledon final – or three-time major champion Stan Wawrinka, in what will be the final major of the Swiss player’s career after he was given a late wildcard.
Advertisement
Germany’s Alexander Zverev, promoted to top seed after Sinner withdrew, faces Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego in his opening match.
In the women’s draw, defending champion Aryna Sabalenka starts against Colombia’s Camila Osorio.
Sabalenka goes into the US Open having topped the WTA rankings for 97 weeks, but knows her place remains under threat from reigning Australian Open champion Elena Rybakina, who has been drawn against American teenage wildcard Thea Frodin.
Two-time champion Venus Williams, 46, has been given a wildcard despite losing all 10 of her matches this season and faces 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin in the first round.
Advertisement
Who will the British players face?
Surprise Wimbledon semi-finalist Arthur Fery returns to the Grand Slam stage with a first-round match against Italian 13th seed Lorenzo Musetti.
Fery, 24, produced a career-changing run at the All England Club in July, propelling him into the world’s top 40 for the first time and securing his US Open debut in the process.
Fery narrowly missed out on a seeding, which has led to being drawn against Musetti. A quarter-finalist in New York last year, Musetti has recently returned from a thigh injury which ruled him out of the French Open and Wimbledon.
A lot of British attention will be placed on how 37th-ranked Fery fares as he leads a rather sparse contingent in the absence of Jack Draper and Emma Raducanu.
Advertisement
Draper, who reached the 2024 semi-finals, withdrew because of a long-term arm injury, while 2021 champion Raducanu remains sidelined with the shin fracture which also forced her to miss Wimbledon.
British men’s number one Cameron Norrie did manage to sneak into the seedings and the 29th seed plays France’s Luca van Assche in his opening match.
Jan Choinski is currently the only other Briton in the men’s draw after reaching the world’s top 100 for the first time in June at the age of 30.
Katie Boulter regained her place as British number one – overtaking the injured Emma Raducanu – with a first-round win in Cincinnati [Getty Images]
Choinski’s reward for earning direct entry into a Grand Slam other than Wimbledon for the first time is a first-round contest with Dutch player Botic van de Zandschulp, who famously beat Alcaraz in the second round of the 2024 US Open.
Advertisement
Katie Boulter is the only Briton guaranteed a place in the women’s draw through her ranking and meets American wildcard Carol Young Suh Lee, who is ranked 143rd in the world.
If Boulter wins a Grand Slam match for only the second time this year, the 30-year-old could meet Wimbledon finalist Karolina Muchova in the second round.
Britain’s Toby Samuel, meanwhile, has reached the main draw of the US Open for the first time after his opponent retired in the final round of qualifying.
Samuel was leading Cristian Garin 5-0 in a deciding set when play was suspended because of lightning in New York and the Chilean retired before the match could resume.
Advertisement
Five more Britons – Francesca Jones, Jacob Fearnley, Heather Watson, Harriet Dart and Harry Wendelken – were due to play their final qualifying matches on Thursday before play was postponed to Friday.
Other notable first-round matches
Women’s singles:
Maja Chwalinska [20] (Pol) v Taylor Townsend (US)
Katie Volynets (US) v Linda Noskova [6] (Cze)
Jessica Pegula [3] (US) v Elena-Gabriela Ruse (Rom)
Zeynep Sonmez (Tur) v Coco Gauff [4] (US)
Iga Swiatek [8] (Pol) v Wang Xiyu (Chn)
Men’s singles:
Rafael Jodar [12] (Spa) v Thanasi Kokkinakis (Aus)
Felix Auger-Aliassime [3] (Can) v Rinky Hijikata (Aus)
Advertisement
Adolfo Daniel Vallejo (Par) v Gael Monfils (Fra)
Marin Cilic (Cro) v Andrey Rublev [23] (Rus)
Stefanos Tsitsipas (Gre) v Arthur Fils [10] (Fra)
[/gpt3]