Carlos Alcaraz dropped a set for the first time in this year’s US Open on Wednesday night but recovered to beat Jaime Faria 4-6, 6-0, 6-3, 6-2, winning eight consecutive games after falling behind early and advancing to the third round of his title defense.
Alcaraz said he wanted to be quick about it but acknowledged afterward that playing four sets was actually good for him at this stage of his return, giving him the chance to test himself physically and see how his body responds the following day. He said he tried to stay calm after losing the set and believed good things were going to happen again.
The No. 2 seed dropped his serve twice in the match, including once midway through the first set when Faria broke for a 4-3 lead and held on behind a powerful serve. He said he began rushing after getting broken and was playing for short points, which he identified as a mistake. He said he needed to play patient and work through longer rallies of three, four or five shots before going for his shots.
He has been broken three times in this tournament, the same number he allowed across 101 service games in the entire 2025 US Open run en route to the title.
The context of where he is
Alcaraz dropped his first set of last year’s US Open in the final against Jannik Sinner, becoming the first man since Roger Federer in 2015 to reach a Grand Slam final without dropping a set. He then beat Sinner in four sets for his second US Open title.
He picked up his seventh major title at the Australian Open earlier this year and carried a 16-match Grand Slam winning streak into Wednesday’s match, the longest of his career. He is 29-1 in his past 30 major matches, with his only loss coming against Sinner in last year’s Wimbledon final.
After missing the French Open and Wimbledon with the right wrist injury, Alcaraz said he did not know what to expect when he arrived at Flushing Meadows, where he won his first major in 2022 at 19 years old.
What he said about his wrist
Alcaraz stressed that he is no longer in pain and has been hitting his forehand without restrictions in practice. He said he knows once he steps on the court he has to go for his shots as he was hitting before the injury, without holding back, and said he is feeling great with no reason to be afraid.
Daniil Medvedev, the 2021 US Open champion, said a player of Alcaraz’s caliber is always a top contender when he is in the field. He said nobody knows how his wrist or body will hold up as the tournament progresses deeper but called him a top favorite for the title.
The path forward
Alcaraz’s third-round opponent has not yet been determined. The competition in his quarter of the US Open draw will determine whether the four-set test against Faria represents a useful early workout or a sign of something to monitor. His serve numbers bear watching given that he allowed three breaks in two matches after allowing three all tournament last year.
The US Open defending champion has made clear he is playing without physical restrictions. The question the rest of the field is asking is what Medvedev articulated plainly, which is whether his body holds up over the next ten days.
