Carlos Alcaraz hadn't played a competitive singles match in more than four months. On Monday at Arthur Ashe Stadium, none of the rust showed — the defending champion beat Roman Safiullin 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 to open his US Open title defense, a day after fellow contender Novak Djokovic suffered a stunning first-round exit of his own on the same court.

Alcaraz, the world No. 1, had been sidelined since April with tenosynovitis, an inflammation of the tendon sheath in his wrist that forced him out of the French Open, Wimbledon and most of the North American hardcourt swing. The injury was serious enough that his participation at Flushing Meadows was in doubt for weeks, and Alcaraz has described the decision to push forward with his 2026 season as far from straightforward.

Shaking Off the Layoff

The Spaniard looked tentative in patches early on but grew steadily more comfortable as the match wore on, working through his usual mix of heavy topspin forehands and touch at the net. He broke into a wide smile after winning a long baseline rally late in the first set — a small moment that suggested the wrist, and the confidence that goes with it, is coming back. He said afterward that he felt physically strong throughout and had no concerns about the joint holding up over a five-set format later in the tournament.

ALCARAZ BROKE INTO A SMILE AFTER A LONG RALLY LATE IN THE OPENING SET

The win keeps alive one of the more improbable title defenses in recent Grand Slam history: a No. 1 seed returning from a four-month layoff to defend a major with almost no match play under his belt. It also reshapes the draw — with Djokovic, a 24-time major champion, already out after his own first-round loss, Alcaraz's side of the bracket has thinned considerably heading into the second week.

Monday's win was Alcaraz's first taste of best-of-five tennis since his run to the title here a year ago, and it came on the same stadium court where, 24 hours earlier, Djokovic was eliminated by an unseeded opponent in the biggest shock of the tournament's opening days — a reminder of just how unpredictable the men's draw has become in 2026. Alcaraz will need several more rounds of that kind of straight-sets efficiency to prove the wrist can hold up over two weeks of tennis, and his team has been cautious about setting expectations given how little competitive play he's had this year. For now, the defending champion is through, unbeaten in the tournament, and the rust that worried his camp for months didn't show up when it mattered.