Sinner and Alcaraz overcome early wobbles at US Open

In their first-round encounters at the US Open, top-seeded Jannik Sinner and four-time Grand Slam winner Carlos Alcaraz both had scares.

On the second day of play in New York, Italy’s Sinner fell behind American Mackenzie McDonald 2-6 6-2 6-1 6-2 after rallying from the first set deficit.

The Italian was participating in his first game since it became public that, earlier this year, he had been found not guilty of any crimes despite testing positive twice for a prohibited substance.

Alcaraz, the defending French Open and Wimbledon champion, defeated Australian qualifier Li Tu 6-2 4-6 6-3 6-1 after a tumultuous second set.

The two, whose rivalry is expected to be interesting to watch over the coming years, might square off at Flushing Meadows in the semi-finals.

Stefanos Tsitsipas, the 11th seed, lost to Thanasi Kokkinakis in the opening round of the US Open earlier on Tuesday, marking his eighth consecutive early departure from the tournament.

However, Daniil Medvedev, the 2021 winner and runner-up from the previous year, easily defeated Dusan Lajovic in the second set to win his 30th match in New York.

Sinner gains momentum following a sluggish start.

After a dismal start at Arthur Ashe Stadium, Sinner, whose coach claimed he was “physically and mentally” beaten down by the inquiry, found himself in a set and a breakdown.

However, the 23-year-old got his footing halfway through the second set, and the rest was history.

Sinner described the reaction to the news that he had tested positive for a prohibited chemical twice as “not awful” overall.

Sinner stated at a press conference, “I feel like the fan reception has been tremendous. There was a lot of support throughout the practice sessions and when the news got out, which I’m extremely thrilled and happy about.”

When asked how other players were responding, he responded, “I cannot control the players’ reaction, and because I’m this kind of guy, if I have something to say to someone, I go there quietly.”

Alcaraz, in contrast, got out to a fast start and swiftly secured a break and a set before the unintentional mistakes began to show.

But he made a good adjustment in the third set, and he dominated the fourth, winning 50 games to his opponent’s 19 in the end.

Alcaraz is vying to become the third person in history to win the US Open, Wimbledon, and French Open all in the same year, behind Rod Laver and Rafael Nadal.

He made a joke when asked about the figure on ESPN, saying, “I’m going to try to pretend I never heard that after this interview.”

“It will be challenging, but if I succeed, it would be a fantastic achievement.”

The favourites to challenge reigning champion Novak Djokovic, who won the Olympic gold three weeks ago against Alcaraz, are him and Sinner.

Tsitsipas’s problems at the US Open persist

Greek Tsitsipas has lost three times in the first round of the New York Open and has never advanced past the third round.

He lost to Australian world number 86 Kokkinakis 7-6 (7-5) 4-6 6-3 7-5, showing once again his lack of consistency.

On the men’s side of the draw, Tsitsipas is the highest-ranked player to drop a set in the first two days at Flushing Meadows.

Tsitsipas, a two-time Grand Slam finalist, has had an uneventful year; his greatest major performance came in the French Open quarterfinals.

Before the US Open, he broke off his coaching relationship with his father after being dissatisfied with his teaching strategies after his most recent Cincinnati Open defeat.

Tsitsipas, however, had his opportunities against Kokkinakis; at 3-4 down in the third set, he was 40-0 up on serve before being broken, and at 5-5 in the fourth, he was broken cheaply.

In the nearly four-hour game, Kokkinakis converted four of his eight breakpoint opportunities, while Tsitsipas only converted three of his ten.

Felix Auger-Aliassime, the 19th-seeded Canadian, was defeated 6-2 6-4 6-2 by Czech teenager Jakub Mensik, resulting in his elimination from the first round as well.

However, Hubert Hurkacz, ranked eighth, continued his recuperation after knee surgery by defeating Timofey Skatov of Kazakhstan, 6-3 7-6 (7-4) 7-6 (7-3).

Italy’s Mattia Bellucci defeated Swiss veteran Stan Wawrinka, 39, 6-4 7-6 (7-5) 6-3, and 10th seed Alex de Minaur overcame Marcos Giron in four sets.