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Carlos Alcaraz discusses US Open victory over Jaime Faria, overcoming a slow start and wrist injury. He faces Wu Yibing next.
Carlos Alcaraz celebrates winning a match against Jaime Faria (Picture credit: AP)
Seven-time Grand Slam champion Carlos Alcaraz has said that he was playing well in the first set against Jaime Faria in the second round of the US Open on Wednesday, but a bit of rush to bag points meant that he messed up and lost the opening set 4-6.
Spain’s second seed Alcaraz, playing his first tournament since a wrist injury sidelined him in April, made a slow start before finding his rhythm to defeat Portugal’s 72nd-ranked Faria 4-6, 6-0, 6-3, 6-2.
Alcaraz won his seventh Grand Slam title at the Australian Open in January but headed to New York as an unknown quantity after a wrist injury kept him out of action for four months, forcing him to miss both Roland Garros and Wimbledon.
“The first set was a little bit about adjustment for me. I would say I was playing well. I had a great point, but I think I did everything in a rush, playing short points,” Alcaraz said in an interview shared by JioStar.
“But I had to do the complete opposite. I needed to play long rallies, be patient over the first two or three shots and after that, go for the point. So, I just made that mistake in the first set and after that, I realised what I had to do in the match and everything went well,” Alcaraz added.
The 23-year-old put any doubts to rest with a straight-sets victory over Roman Safiullin in the first round, but needed time to find his rhythm against Faria’s big serve. The Portuguese earned the first break of the match to move 4-3 ahead in the opening set after Alcaraz mishit a forehand.
“The feeling that my team and I had was that I needed to play cross-court a little bit more. The first two or three shots, more cross-court and then go for it. I think he made a couple of mistakes as well, a couple of double faults that helped me get an early break, which for me was great,” Alcaraz said.
The seven-time Major winner will next play China’s Wu Yibing on Friday.
Quick Answers
Ask News18Carlos Alcaraz’s wrist injury sidelined him for nearly five months, forcing him to miss the French Open, Wimbledon, and the Cincinnati Open. The extended absence left him with limited match practice ahead of his US Open title defence and sparked troubling “intrusive thoughts” during his recovery. Additionally, the injury caused him to miss the Italian Open, the Barcelona Open, and the entire grass-court season.
Ask News18September 03, 2026, 11:55 PM IST
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