Carlos Alcaraz, of Spain, celebrates winning a match against Jaime Faria, of Portugal, during the second round of the US Open tennis championships, Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo)
Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz recovered from an early wobble to reach the third round of the US Open on Wednesday, coming back from a set down to beat Portugal’s Jaime Faria in four sets.Playing his first major competition after returning from a four-month break because of a wrist injury, Alcaraz beat the world No. 72 4-6, 6-0, 6-3, 6-2 in 2 hours and 40 minutes at Arthur Ashe Stadium.The 23-year-old Spaniard will next face China’s Wu Yibing in the third round.Faria made the stronger start to the match. He held serve well, chased down almost every ball and kept Alcaraz under pressure.The Portuguese got the first break in the seventh game when Alcaraz missed a forehand, taking a 4-3 lead. He then held to love in the next game, firing an ace to move 5-3 ahead.Another strong service game saw him close out the set, holding easily with a blistering serve that Alcaraz could only flail at.After losing the first set, Alcaraz raised his level in the second. Faria’s serve began to struggle, while the Spaniard started hitting his groundstrokes with more pace.Alcaraz had to save two break points in the opening game of the second set, but after that he took complete control. He broke Faria’s serve three times and did not lose a game in the set.The momentum continued into the third set as Alcaraz broke serve early to lead 2-0.Faria responded with a break to cut the gap to 2-1, but Alcaraz broke back immediately to restore his advantage at 3-1. Both players held serve for the rest of the set as Alcaraz moved ahead 2-1.Alcaraz went a double break up in the fourth to move into a 5-1 lead and served out to seal victory.