Carlos Alcaraz, the 23-year-old defending US Open champion and second seed, reached the fourth round at the 2026 US Open on September 4 by beating China's Wu Yibing 6-3, 6-4, 6-1 [1, 2, 3, 4, 5].
Alcaraz returned this year after nearly five months sidelined with a wrist injury. He won his opening round in straight sets on September 1 against Roman Safiullin and then came from a set down on September 2 to defeat Portugal's Jaime Faria 4-6, 6-0, 6-3, 6-2 to reach the third round [6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11]. He acknowledged the first set loss against Faria but said, "It was a tough match for me. I felt great in the first set, but I didn't take time and that cost me. After that I tried to be focused, stay calm and think the good things will happen" [7].
Despite being broken multiple times on serve during the tournament, Alcaraz displayed strong shot-making and physical endurance. He said, "To be honest, I'm better than I thought. Physically I thought I was going to be bad after the first match, but I am recovering really well. I am doing great things off the court to be in a good state. Right now, I think my level is really good. I think I have caught the rhythm of the competition" [6, 2, 10, 4].
Alcaraz holds a 17-match winning streak in Grand Slam matches, including titles at the 2025 US Open and 2026 Australian Open, bringing his total major titles won to seven [1, 2, 10, 4]. He described playing Wu as challenging, noting, "The way he plays is unbelievable, the rhythm he has on every shot – forehand, backhand... But I think I stayed there. I played aggressive. I played smart in the toughest moments" [5].
In the round of 16, Alcaraz will face American 20th seed Tommy Paul, who expressed confidence ahead of their meeting, saying, "Obviously the crowd at every tournament loves Carlos, but you know, I am American, so hopefully they can get behind me a little bit" [1, 2, 4, 5].
After the victory over Wu on September 4, Alcaraz confirmed on September 5 that he was feeling physically stronger and ready for tougher matches coming up [5]. He said, "I think my level is really good. I've got into the rhythm of the competition. I'm getting there" [5].
