NEW YORK: Carlos Alcaraz roared home for a 6-2, 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 victory over 186th-ranked Australian Li Tu on Tuesday to launch his bid to add the US Open to the Roland Garros and Wimbledon titles he claimed this year.
The 21-year-old Spaniard pushed his Grand Slam winning streak to 15 matches as he tries to join Rod Laver and Rafael Nadal as the only men in the modern era to win the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open in the same year.
He got off to a hot start, seizing a 4-0 lead on the way to pocketing the first set.
But Tu, who came through qualifying, got to grips with the imposing Arthur Ashe Stadium and Alcaraz's serve to take the second set.
He tried to keep the pressure on in the third, but Alcaraz's break for a 4-3 lead opened the floodgates, the Spaniard winning the eight straight games to take the third set and build a 5-0 lead in the fourth.
But Tu wouldn't go quietly, saving a pair of match points before Alcaraz closed it out with a love service game.
"Obviously it surprised me a little bit," Alcaraz said of Tu. "The first set it was obvious that he started the match nervous.
"But after the first he started to enjoy, to play really great tennis. I was playing great – probably a few mistakes," added Alcaraz, who had 50 winners and 30 unforced errors.
The third-seeded Spaniard, who won the first of his four Grand Slam titles in New York in 2022, will face Botic van de Zandschulp in the second round, headed toward a possible semi-final showdown with top-ranked Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner.