Carlos Alcaraz Set For Safiullin Test in First Clash at US Open 2026

Carlos Alcaraz will begin his US Open title defence against Russia’s Roman Safiullin, with the match set to give a clear idea of how well he has recovered from his wrist injury.

The second seed won the men’s title in New York last year but has not played a singles match for more than four months. He has been dealing with inflammation in his right wrist, which is his playing hand.

Even after such a long break, the 23-year-old Spaniard remains one of the main favourites to win the title again. His chances have also improved with Jannik Sinner, one of his biggest rivals, missing the tournament because of a knee injury.

Alcaraz and Sinner have been among the best players on tour over the last two seasons. For Alcaraz to return after a lengthy layoff and win the tournament despite coming back from a wrist problem would be an impressive achievement.

The seven-time Grand Slam winner missed the French Open and Wimbledon this year because of the injury. He did not need surgery and returned to action earlier this week when he teamed up with Serena Williams in the US Open mixed doubles event.

Alcaraz wore a long compression sleeve on his right arm but did not look at his best during the exhibition-style event. It was understandable, though, as he seemed to take things carefully with his serve and return while getting used to competitive tennis again.

A best-of-five Grand Slam match will be a much tougher physical challenge. Safiullin is also not an easy player to face in the opening round, as the Russian has a powerful serve and likes to attack with his groundstrokes.

The 29-year-old reached the fourth round at Wimbledon last month before losing to Novak Djokovic. He is expected to play aggressively, give Alcaraz little time with his shots and see how well the Spaniard handles long rallies from the baseline.

It is hard to predict how a Grand Slam draw will unfold, but if Alcaraz manages to beat Safiullin and reaches the fourth round, he could face even tougher opponents.

Alcaraz’s biggest concern will be whether his wrist can handle the pressure of long five-set matches. He has been away from singles action for months, so it remains unclear how his body will respond once the matches become more demanding.