Carlos Alcaraz Returns From Injury to Open US Open Title Defence

Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz begins his US Open campaign against Roman Safiullin on Monday, returning to competition for the first time in more than four months after being sidelined by a right wrist injury.

The Spaniard arrives in New York attempting to bookend his season with Grand Slam titles after winning the Australian Open in January. That victory made Alcaraz the youngest man to complete a career Grand Slam, but his immediate challenge at the US Open is to find his rhythm quickly after a lengthy absence.

Alcaraz said demanding practice sessions had strengthened his confidence in his wrist and that he was ready to “go 100 percent”. His opening match is one of the leading fixtures on a packed second-day schedule that also includes Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, Naomi Osaka and Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova.

Alcaraz faces a familiar early test

Safiullin represents a potentially difficult first opponent for the defending champion. The head-to-head record between the pair is level at 1-1, with the Russian having already shown he can trouble Alcaraz on a major stage.

The 29-year-old beat Andrey Rublev and Joao Fonseca during his run to the Wimbledon fourth round, where he was beaten by Novak Djokovic in four sets. Safiullin also defeated then second-ranked Alcaraz at the ATP Paris Masters in 2023, before Alcaraz levelled their personal series by beating him at the Paris Olympics the following year.

Known in the source preview as a hard-hitting player with the ability to press opponents from the baseline, Safiullin will test how rapidly Alcaraz can translate practice confidence into match intensity. For Alcaraz, the contest is about more than progressing through the opening round: it is his first competitive measure of the wrist that halted his season after April.

The US Open defence carries added significance because Alcaraz has already secured one major title this season. A successful return would keep alive his bid to finish the year with Grand Slam trophies at both ends of the calendar, while an early examination against a player who has beaten him before gives the opening match immediate importance.

Monday’s schedule also places Alcaraz alongside several of the sport’s biggest names. Two-time women’s defending champion Sabalenka meets Camila Osorio, while four-time Grand Slam champion Osaka takes on Anastasia Zakharova in their first meeting.

Other notable matches on Day 2

Sabalenka, who leads Osorio 2-0, is seeking to halt a difficult stretch since winning hard-court titles at Indian Wells and Miami in March. Her previous victories over 59th-ranked Osorio came at Wimbledon in 2021 and Madrid in 2023. Sabalenka won in Brisbane before reaching the Australian Open final in January, but her mid-season results included a quarter-final exit at Roland Garros and a fourth-round defeat at Wimbledon.

Osaka brings considerable US Open pedigree into her match with 101st-ranked Zakharova. The Japanese player won the title in 2018 and 2020, accounting for two of her four Grand Slam victories. She enters after reaching the semi-finals in Washington and the quarter-finals in Toronto this month, and her Wimbledon quarter-final run included an upset of Sabalenka.

For Alcaraz, however, the spotlight falls on the opening steps of a comeback. The defending champion’s meeting with Safiullin offers an early answer to the central question of his US Open: whether four months away from match play will matter once his title defence begins.