US Open 2024: Carlos Alcaraz attains this unique feat
What's the story
Carlos Alcaraz, a four-time Grand Slam champion, faced a challenging first round at the 2024 US Open against Australian qualifier Li Tu.
Alcaraz blew his opponent away in the 1st set, winning 6-2. He lost the second set 3-6 before making a comeback to seal the deal 6-3, 6-1.
This was a solid win for the Spaniard who will next take on Botic van de Zandschulp in the 2nd round.
Here are the key stats.
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Alcaraz equals Borg with this record
As per Opta, among players to begin their career in the Open Era, only John McEnroe (69) has achieved 60 men's singles match wins at Grand Slam events in fewer matches than Alcaraz (70), who also equalled Bjorn Borg in this regard (70).
Post-match reflections
Alcaraz praises Tu's performance and crowd's energy
In a post-match on-court interview conducted by ESPN's guest commentator Nick Kyrgios, Alcaraz acknowledged Tu's impressive performance.
He stated, "Obvious he surprised me a little bit," adding that after the first set, Tu "started to play great tennis."
Alcaraz also expressed his gratitude toward the enthusiastic crowd for their "electric" atmosphere during the match.
Career highlights
Alcaraz's journey to US Open 2024
Alcaraz has had a notable year, winning the French Open in June and defeating Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon in July.
He won silver medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics before suffering a defeat against Gael Monfils at the Cincinnati Open.
However, the 21-year-old champion, who won the US Open in 2022, appeared unaffected by the right ankle injury he sustained during practice on Saturday.
Match stats
Match summary
Alcaraz served eight aces as compared to just two aces from Li Tu. The Spaniard committed just four double faults against the Australian's six faults.
Alcaraz was on the dominating end of the match, with an 80% win on his first serve, and a 74% win on his second.
Additionally, Alcaraz converted 7/19 breaking points, while Tu converted just 2/6. The 21-year-old won 125 points in comparison to a modest 86 points won by Tu.
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17-2 win-loss record for Alcaraz at US Open
Alcaraz has raced to a 17-2 win-loss record at the US Open. He won the title here in 2022. Overall at Grand Slams, Alcaraz owns a 60-10 win-loss record. He has won two Wimbledon honors and one Roland Garros title.