2026 US Open: Carlos Alcaraz authors straight-sets victory over Roman Safiullin in first singles match back

Carlos Alcaraz pumped his fist and put his hand to his ear, reveling in the moment Monday at the US Open.

He authored a 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 victory over Russian Roman Safiullin in his first singles match since April when he injured his right wrist at the Barcelona Open. It's his first major since since he won the Australian Open this past winter , a triumph made him the youngest man to complete the career Grand Slam .

The Spaniard has won the US Open twice before, including last year when he defeated Italy's Jannik Sinner in the final. Sinner, the world No. 1, isn't taking part in the major this time around because of a right knee injury that he's been nursing .

Notably, Alcaraz won't have to face fourth-seeded Novak Djokovic, either. Djokovic could have stood in Alcaraz's path to the final, but the 39-year-old Serbian suffered an agonizing five-set defeat in the first round on Sunday night to Argentine Mariano Navone .

Alcaraz made his return to competition last week during the mixed doubles portion of the US Open. He followed up his absence by teaming up with a 44-year-old Serena Williams.

Together, the tennis superstars — one on a path to the sport's Mount Rushmore and the other already there — bested doubles specialists Erin Routliffe and Lloyd Glasspool before bowing out in the the quarterfinals to the fourth-seeded team of Belinda Bencic and Flavio Cobolli . That more casual event served as Alcaraz's brief ramp-up to the US Open singles draw. Earlier this month, he withdrew from the Cincinnati Open , which is regarded as the warmup tournament for the US Open.

At the time, the 23-year-old Alcaraz was still navigating his wrist issue and working his way back to tournament-level play. He was dealing with tenosynovitis, which, according to Cleveland Clinic , is the inflammation of the connective tissue that surrounds your tendons. It can be painful and inhibit joint movement.

The seven-time Grand Slam champion has a chance to pull off a stunning comeback in Queens, given his limited play in the past four-plus months leading up to the singles draw.

That reboot is off to a swift start, with Alcaraz taking care of business in straight sets on Monday at Arthur Ashe Stadium.