Carlos Alcaraz of Spain celebrates during his first round match with Li Tu of Australia.
Credit: Reuters Photo
New York: Carlos Alcaraz was given a scare by Australian qualifier Li Tu in the first round of the US Open on Tuesday before going on to seal a 6-2 4-6 6-3 6-1 victory.
Four-times Grand Slam champion Alcaraz, who lost to Novak Djokovic in the final of the Paris Olympics, got off to a hot start before the errors began to pile up and he dropped the second set.
The Spaniard restored order by whipping a forehand to break in the third for a 4-3 lead and never looked back, sealing the win with his eighth ace to set up a second-round meeting with Dutch player Botic van de Zandschulp.
Tu, an Adelaide native who stepped away from tennis in 2014 for six years to get a degree and start a tennis academy, won three qualifying matches to earn his first appearance on Arthur Ashe Stadium court against the third seed.
"Obvious he surprised me a little bit," Alcaraz said in an on-court interview with Nick Kyrgios, who is working at Flushing Meadows as an ESPN analyst.
"He started the match a little nervous but after the first set he grew up, he started to play great tennis.
"Now I'm going to follow him and his results because I'm pretty sure I'm going to be seeing him around very, very soon."
Alcaraz won the first set with ease and the subdued crowd appeared to resign itself to a one-sided match.
However, Tu turned the tables with a passing shot that flew by the charging Alcaraz for a 5-4 lead in the second and broke serve with a beautiful one-handed backhand down the line to level the contest, raising his hand to his ear as the crowd came to life.
Alcaraz's power began to wear Tu down in the third set in hot and humid conditions and the 21-year-old went on to claim the win before thanking the fans for creating an "electric" atmosphere.
"It's one of the most electric courts, electric crowds that I have played in front of," he said.
"It's an honour to step on this court and have the people enjoy my tennis once again."
Alcaraz won the French Open in June and defeated Djokovic to triumph at Wimbledon a month later but was left bitterly disappointed after falling short at the Paris Games before suffering a shock defeat by Gael Monfils at the Cincinnati Open.
The 21-year-old, who won the U.S. Open in 2022, showed no signs that his movement was limited by a right ankle injury he suffered during a practice session on Saturday.