Carlos Alcaraz: “After That, I Just Tried to Be Focused and Stay Calm” — Defending Champion Overcomes Slow Start to Surge Into US Open Third Round

Carlos Alcaraz may have required a set to fully find his rhythm on Wednesday night, but once the second seed dialed in his range, he unleashed a relentless level of power tennis to seal his spot in the 2026 US Open third round.

The Spaniard downed heavy-hitting Portuguese star Jaime Faria 4-6, 6-0, 6-3, 6-2 inside Arthur Ashe Stadium, overcoming an early stumble to deliver arguably his finest single set of the summer hard-court swing.

Competing in Flushing Meadows for his first tournament since suffering a right wrist injury in mid-April, the World No. 3 showed zero signs of physical discomfort across the two-hour, 40-minute encounter.

“The first set, I was feeling great, had a break point and a pretty easy forehand for me that I missed. I was in a rush. I didn’t take time. I wasn’t patient,” Alcaraz said in his on-court interview following the match. “That cost me the break. Against someone like Jaime, he’s serving like 140 [mph], every serve is really difficult.”

“After that, I just tried to be focused and stay calm and think that good things are going to happen again.”

Eight-Game Blitz Flips the Momentum

Faria, ranked World No. 72, tested the defending champion early by converting a crucial break at 3-3 in the opening set after Alcaraz misfired on a routine serve plus-one forehand. Holding his nerve behind a booming 140 mph serve, Faria served out the set to put the center-court crowd on edge.

The response from the seven-time Grand Slam titlist was swift and emphatic. After saving a critical break point in his opening service game of the second set, Alcaraz rattled off eight consecutive games, breaking Faria’s serve with a sizzling forehand passing shot that brought the Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd to its feet.

Sweeping the second set in just 33 minutes, Alcaraz took complete command of the baseline exchanges as Faria’s energy began to wane.

Continuing a Milestone-Filled Grand Slam Season

Free of pain and swinging freely, Alcaraz dominated the remainder of the contest, firing 43 winners and winning a commanding 70 percent of his second-serve points compared to Faria’s 31 percent.

The victory marks Alcaraz’s 26th main-draw win at Flushing Meadows—his highest total among all four Grand Slam tournaments—and extends his pristine major record in 2026 to 9-0 following his historic Career Grand Slam triumph earlier this year.

As he aims to become the first man to successfully defend the US Open crown since Roger Federer won five consecutive titles between 2004 and 2008, the two-time New York champion advances to face China’s Wu Yibing, who defeated James Duckworth 7-5, 6-3, 6-1. Alcaraz leads their Lexus ATP Head2Head series 1-0.