NEW YORK: Carlos Alcaraz got off to a sluggish start but stormed home, and Aryna Sabalenka was in control all the way as the defending champions led a stream of contenders into the third round of the US Open on Wednesday.
Spain’s Alcaraz, seeded second in his first tournament since a wrist injury forced him to the sidelines in April, got off to a slow start but finished in convincing fashion in a 4-6, 6-0, 6-3, 6-2 victory over 72nd-ranked Jaime Faria of Portugal.
Alcaraz won his at the Australian Open in January but arrived in New York an unknown quantity after a wrist injury forced a four-month layoff that saw him miss Roland Garros and Wimbledon.
He dispelled doubts with a straight-sets first-round victory over Roman Safiullin, but took some time to find his range against the big-serving Faria, who claimed the first break of the match for a 4-3 lead in the first when Alcaraz flubbed a forehand.
He made the break stand up to take the set, but Alcaraz stepped up his intensity and Faria folded under the pressure.
“Tough match for me,” Alcaraz said, adding that after failing to convert an early break point he briefly lost his composure.
“After that I was in a rush. I didn’t take time, I wasn’t patient and that obviously cost me the break,” he said. “I tried to stay calm … think good things are going to happen again.”
Meanwhile, a ruthless Sabalenka took the next step on the road to a rare US Open three-peat with a 6-1, 6-1 rout of 160th-ranked Russian qualifier Polina Iatcenko that lasted just 53 minutes.
Sabalenka, without a title since her impressive Indian Wells-Miami double in March, delivered 24 winners, showcasing her power from the baseline and an effective touch at the net.
She dropped just four points on serve in the opening set and was broken just once to give Iatcenko her only game of the second set. Sabalenka responded by winning the next three to secure the win.
“Happy with the level I played today, happy with the focus,” said Sabalenka, who will face Uzbekistan’s Kamilla Rakhimova for a place in the round-of-16.
