Second seed Carlos Alcaraz dropped the opening set before overpowering Portugal’s Jaime Faria to reach the US Open third round (Dawn; Al Jazeera; The 42).
It is Alcaraz’s first tournament back since a wrist injury in April, which is the context for a sluggish opening set.
Alcaraz 4-6, 6-0, 6-3, 6-2 Faria
Faria, ranked 72nd, took the first set. Alcaraz then won 18 of the next 21 games.
Sabalenka 6-1, 6-1 Iatcenko
Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka needed 53 minutes to beat Russia’s Polina Iatcenko, ranked 160th, hitting 24 winners. She faces Uzbekistan’s Kamilla Rakhimova next.
Other results
| Match | Score | |—|—| | Pegula def. Kenin | 6-3, 6-1 (56 min) | | Medvedev def. Gorzny | 6-1, 6-3, 7-5 | | Shelton def. Hurkacz | 6-3, 5-7, 7-6(7/3), 7-5 | | Navone def. Berrettini | 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6(7/4) | | Michelsen def. Nakashima | 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 |
The run worth watching
Mariano Navone has now beaten Matteo Berrettini after knocking out Novak Djokovic in the first round — the result this newspaper reported on 31 August. The Argentine, unseeded, has taken out a former world number one and a former Wimbledon finalist in successive matches.
The upset
Sixteenth seed Brandon Nakashima went out in straight sets to Alex Michelsen, an all-American match-up that removed a seed from the draw.
The pattern in the men’s draw
Two days ago Alexander Zverev needed four hours 53 minutes and five sets to get past Lorenzo Sonego, finishing at 1:55am. Alcaraz dropped a set to a player ranked outside the top 70. Seeds are being tested early at this tournament in a way they were not last year.
Pakistan has no representation in the singles draws.
