In the opening round of the U.S. Open on Tuesday, Australian qualifier Li Tu gave Carlos Alcaraz a scare before he eventually prevailed 6-2 4-6 6-3 6-1.

The four-time Grand Slam champion Alcaraz had a great start before making a lot of mistakes and dropping the second set.

With a brilliant forehand to break for a 4-3 lead in the third game, the Spaniard brought stability back. He would never look back, sealing the victory with his eighth ace to set up a second-round matchup with Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp.

Tu, an Adelaide native who took a six-year break from tennis in 2014 to pursue a degree and open a tennis academy, defeated a third seed in three qualifying matches to earn his first-ever appearance on the Arthur Ashe Stadium court.

Alcaraz said in his on-court interview: “Obviously he surprised me a little bit. He started the match a little nervous but after the first set he grew up, he started to play great tennis. Now I’m going to follow him and his results because I’m pretty sure I’m going to be seeing him around very, very soon.”

Alcaraz at the U.S. Open, ranking, and results in 2024

At the moment ranked no.3, Carlos has managed to achieve an overall 39-8 match record in 2024. The Spaniard is participating at the U.S. Open where he overcame the world no.186 Li Tu 6-2 4-6 6-3 6-1

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Carlos Alcaraz will come up against the world no.354 Gabi Adrian Boitan in the . In the past, they have never competed against each other as of now in top events.

The Spaniard conquered 3 titles in 2024 in Indian Wells, French Open and Wimbledon. The Spaniard reached the final in Paris (Olympics).

Carlos won 16 titles in his career: 4 on hard courts, 8 on clay courts, 1 on indoor courts and 3 on grass courts. (See the list of his titles)

Carlos Alcaraz

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