Alcaraz cruises into fourth round as US Open draw opens up

Carlos Alcaraz continued his impressive comeback from a long-term wrist injury, beating China's Wu Yibing 6-3 6-4 6-1 to reach the fourth round of the US Open.

The match was Alcaraz's first tournament appearance since April, having gone 139 days without a competitive singles match before this event due to a wrist injury. The seven-time Grand Slam champion won his opening match in straight sets, then had to fight back from a set down against Portugal's Jaime Faria in round two. The win over Wu took two hours and 20 minutes.

"To be honest, I'm better than I thought," the 23-year-old said afterwards, adding that he is recovering well physically and has found his competitive rhythm.

Alcaraz will next face American 20th seed Tommy Paul in the fourth round, a player he has beaten six times in a row.

Draw opens up

Alcaraz's path to an eighth Grand Slam title has eased considerably in recent days. World number one Jannik Sinner is absent through injury, leaving French Open champion and Wimbledon runner-up Alexander Zverev topping the men's draw. As the second seed, Alcaraz can only meet Zverev in the final.

Other contenders have already fallen: Novak Djokovic suffered a shock first-round exit to Argentina's Mariano Navone, while Canadian third seed Felix Auger-Aliassime lost in round two to Karen Khachanov. Before a potential semi-final, the only top-10 player standing in Alcaraz's way is American eighth seed Ben Shelton, against whom he holds a perfect record in three previous meetings.

Against Wu, Alcaraz struck 21 winners but also committed 33 unforced errors and landed just 67% of first serves, occasionally showing visible frustration on court. Former Wimbledon champion Pat Cash told the BBC that Alcaraz becomes more of a favourite with every win.

Also advancing on Friday was 2021 champion Daniil Medvedev, who beat France's Arthur Rinderknech in straight sets.