Carlos Alcaraz survived a major scare in the first round of the US Open as he needed four sets to fend off Li Tu's challenge and make it to the second.
The third seed from Spain was expected to steamroll his World No. 186 qualifier opponent from Australia but the latter showed plenty of resolve before going down 6-2, 4-6, 6-3, 6-1. The Paris Olympics silver medallist made a bright start by winning the first set but was left "surprised" when Tu made a resounding comeback to take the next one 6-4.
However, Alcaraz gathered his composure again and eventually aced the challenge.
“First of all, I'm really happy to get through and [have] a chance to be better in the next round,” Alcaraz said in his post-match press conference. “Obviously, I felt well on court. I think I hit the ball well. I moved well.
“(There are) a few things that I have to improve if I want to keep going in the draw, but obviously I have to give credit to him as well. He played really good tennis and surprised me a little bit in the second set. I leave the court happy with my performance."
Alcaraz, is a few matches away from becoming only the third male tennis player in the Open Era to win the French Open, Wimbledon Championships and the US Open in the same year after Rod Laver (1969) and Rafael Nadal (2010) made 18 unforced errors in the second round when the Aussie got into his groove.
“The first set, I made just two unforced errors. The second set I made 18. That was the huge difference for me,” Alcaraz mentioned.
“He started to play better, obviously serving better, playing more aggressive and not making a lot of mistakes that he did in the first set. But talking about myself, it was from two to 18 unforced errors, a huge difference for me."
Alcaraz will now take on Botic van de Zandschulp of the Netherlands in the second round. Notably, the Spaniard has extended his major match-winning streak to 15.
