Facts verified across ATP Tour, Tennis Majors, Wikipedia and match data. Here’s the article:
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Carlos Alcaraz needed 24 minutes to close out the third set, and by then the question at Flushing Meadows had changed. Not whether the defending champion could survive a comeback tournament, but whether anyone left in the draw can stop him. The Spaniard beat Wu Yibing 6-3 6-4 6-1 on Arthur Ashe Stadium on Friday to reach the fourth round of the US Open, extending his winning run at the tournament to 10 matches and his hard-court Grand Slam streak to 17.
It was Alcaraz’s third match in six days since a four-and-a-half-month absence with a right wrist injury sustained in April at Barcelona — a lay-off that cost him Roland Garros and Wimbledon. On the evidence of an hour and 51 minutes against Wu, the rust has burned off faster than anyone, including the player himself, expected.
“I am better than I thought,” Alcaraz said in his on-court interview. “Physically, I thought I was going to be dead after the first match, but I am recovering really well.”
Sharper with every round
The numbers backed him up. Alcaraz landed 67% of first serves and won 69% of the points behind them, struck six aces to Wu’s one, and converted seven of 15 break points. Wu, the first Chinese man to reach the top 60 and a former Dallas champion, was broken in seven of his 13 service games and coughed up five double faults.
The pattern was not flawless — 21 winners against 33 unforced errors is not a vintage Alcaraz ratio, and he handed back breaks in both of the first two sets. But the third set was the tell. Facing two break points in the opening game, he saved both, then took 16 of the next 22 points to run away with the match.
Alcaraz was generous about the opponent who had made him work. “I think today was a really high rhythm,” he said. “The way he plays is unbelievable — the rhythm he has, every time on his forehand, the ball bounces a lot on the court, which for me is really difficult to deal with sometimes.”
The progression through the fortnight is the story. Alcaraz needed straight sets but plenty of patience to see off Roman Safiullin 6-4 6-4 6-4 in the first round. He dropped the opening set to Jaime Faria in the second before cruising. Against Wu he conceded 10 games. Each round has cost him less.
A draw that keeps thinning
The second seed’s half of the draw has been dismantled around him. Jannik Sinner, the world No 1 and the man who has traded majors with Alcaraz for two seasons, withdrew before the tournament with a right knee injury, his Wimbledon final victory still his last competitive match. Sinner’s absence moved Alexander Zverev to top seed and pushed Alcaraz up to No 2 despite a world ranking of three.
Then came the first-round carnage. Novak Djokovic, a four-time champion here and the most likely obstacle in Alcaraz’s half, lost 7-6 5-7 4-6 6-2 6-1 to Argentina’s Mariano Navone while visibly unwell and requiring medical attention — his first opening-round exit at a Grand Slam in two decades. Tenth seed Arthur Fils, 12th seed Rafael Jódar and 29th seed Cameron Norrie also fell at the first hurdle.
- Sinner (1) — withdrew pre-tournament, right knee
- Djokovic (4) — lost in R1 to Navone in five sets
- Fils (10), Jódar (12), Norrie (29) — all out in R1
For a player with 17 straight hard-court major wins and an Australian Open title already banked this season — won at 22, making him the youngest man to complete the career Grand Slam — that is close to an ideal set of circumstances.
Paul stands in the way
Tommy Paul is next, and the 20th seed arrives with a caveat. The American came through 6-4 3-6 6-7(4) 6-1 6-3 against 15th seed Alexander Bublik, a four-hour scrap that leaves him considerably more worn than his opponent. Paul trails the head-to-head 2-6 and is chasing a distinction that matters to him: becoming the only active American man to reach the quarter-finals at all four majors.
New York will back him, and Paul’s movement and depth off the ground have troubled Alcaraz before. But the physical ledger is lopsided. Alcaraz has spent barely six hours on court across three rounds; Paul spent four in one afternoon.
Should Alcaraz come through, he would be halfway to a third US Open crown and a fourth major overall on hard courts, with the men most likely to deny him either absent or eliminated. He was careful not to say it. The draw is saying it for him.
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**Word count:** 741 (body text, excluding tags). Key facts sourced from:
– [ATP Tour match report](https://www.atptour.com/en/news/alcaraz-wu-us-open-2026-friday)
– [Tennis Majors](https://www.tennismajors.com/us-open-news/better-than-i-thought-alcaraz-confirms-us-open-dominance-in-style-test-vs-paul-awaits-860253.html)
– [Tennis.com match stats](https://www.tennis.com/tournaments/us-open/matches/y-wu-vs-c-alcaraz-2026-09-04)
– [Wikipedia: 2026 US Open – Men’s singles](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_US_Open_%E2%80%93_Men%27s_singles)
– [Tennis365 on Sinner’s withdrawal](https://www.tennis365.com/tennis-news/projected-us-open-2026-mens-seeds-zverev-alcaraz-djokovic-move-up-sinner-absence)
Two things I flagged and handled: Wikipedia’s draw page rendered Alcaraz’s R16 opponent as Cobolli, but the ATP, Tennis Majors and multiple wires all confirm **Tommy Paul** — I went with the corroborated majority. And the ATP lists Alcaraz as world No 3 while other outlets call him second seed; both are correct post-Sinner-withdrawal, so I stated it explicitly rather than picking one.
Sports journalist and editor at SportsPortal.net. Covers cricket, football, Formula 1, tennis, and basketball with a focus on how global sports connect with Pakistani audiences. Follows the PSL, Pakistan national cricket team, Premier League, and major international tournaments. Has reported on sports for digital audiences since 2021.
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