Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz continued his comeback at the US Open by recovering from a slow start to beat Portugal’s Jaime Faria 4-6, 6-0, 6-3, 6-2 and reach the third round. The Spaniard was forced to work for his second win in New York after Faria took the opening set and briefly put him under pressure.
The world No.2, playing his first night session of the tournament, struggled to settle early against the 72nd-ranked Faria, who broke for a 4-3 lead before using his big serve to close out the opening set. Alcaraz admitted he had been rushing his shots but found his rhythm as the match progressed.
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“It was a tough match. I was feeling great, but I was in a rush and I didn’t take time and it cost me a break (in the first set),” Alcaraz said.
ALCARAZ FINDS HIS RHYTHM
Faria continued to threaten at the start of the second set, earning two break opportunities, but Alcaraz managed to withstand the pressure. The defending champion then raised his level, producing a stunning drop shot-lob combination before sweeping through the rest of the set without dropping a game.
Against Faria’s powerful serve, Alcaraz knew patience would be crucial.
“Against someone like Jaime, who serves at 140-141 miles per hour every time, you have to try and be focused and calm. I told myself good things are going to happen. I just had to stay there all the time,” he said.
The shift in momentum was decisive. Alcaraz began finding more space from the back of the court in the third set, extending rallies and forcing Faria to defend for longer periods as the Portuguese gradually lost his grip on the contest.
NIGHT SESSION MAKES DIFFERENCE
Alcaraz also had to adjust to conditions that were markedly different from his opening-round daytime match against Roman Safiullin. The atmosphere inside Arthur Ashe Stadium added another dimension to his first evening appearance of the tournament.
“The day session compared to the night session here is a totally different game,” Alcaraz said. “The conditions here are different and obviously the crowd is super electric here in the night session.”
The Spaniard continued to pull away in the fourth set as Faria’s serve began to falter. Alcaraz closed out the contest comfortably to book his place in the third round.
The victory marks another positive step in Alcaraz’s return after nearly five months away with a wrist injury. He will next face China’s Wu Yibing, with the defending champion now two wins into his title defence and building momentum with every match.
– Ends
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