Sleeveless Carlos Alcaraz still fearless at US Open as he gets an early night – ‘I felt great, I felt amazing’

Shahida Jacobs
Carlos Alcaraz during a match
Carlos Alcaraz in action

Carlos Alcaraz’s US Open title defence got off to a winning start, although he didn’t really have to get out of first gear as his opponent Dominik Koepfer retired after picking up an early injury.

Stepping onto Arthur Ashe Stadium for a competitive encounter for the first time since his glorious match-winning performance against Casper Ruud in the 2022 final, Alcaraz – wearing an artistic sleeveless match – had the upper hand straight away as Koepfer suffered an unfortunate injury at the start and never recovered.

The match lasted only 60 minutes as the German world No 75 threw in the towel with the score 6-2, 3-2 in Alcaraz’s favour.

Koepfer problems began in the opening game of the match as he twisted his ankle and took a medical timeout to get his foot strapped. He battled on bravely, but the injury eventually its toll.

“It was a shame for him in the first game, he got injured with the ankle,” the Spaniard said on court. “Obviously that’s not the best way to get through to another round. But I have to say for myself that I was playing great, I was playing really well on court. Hopefully I can keep the same level in the next round.”

The Spaniard added: “This is a court that I love playing in. Since the first step on the court [tonight] I felt great, I felt amazing — the same energy that I felt last year. It was a great start to the match and I think I played and I felt really well during the match.”

Alcaraz, who hit 19 winners and made six unforced errors in the shortened match, will face South Africa’s Lloyd Harris in the second round after the former world No 31 got the better of Guido Pella, winning 7-6 (7-5), 6-4, 6-4.

“He’s a great player, he has big shots so I have to be really focused on the match,” he said of Harris. “Obviously (it) is going to be a tough one.”

The 20-year-old started the US Open as the world No 1, but his reign at the top of the ATP Rankings will come to an end after the tournament as Novak Djokovic will reclaim top spot on the back of his opening-round win. Alcaraz has 2,000 points to defend in New York while the Serbian didn’t play last year so will usurp the Spaniard in the rankings.

READ MORE: ‘One element changes outlook for Novak Djokovic in Carlos Alcaraz rivalry’, says tennis great

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