US Open: Alcaraz rallies in four sets for 16th straight Grand Slam win

Carlos Alcaraz turned a shaky start into a commanding comeback, beating Portugal’s Jaime Faria 4-6, 6-0, 6-3, 6-2 at the 2026 US Open.

The Spanish third seed and defending champion missed an opportunity in the sixth game before losing his serve in the seventh. Faria, ranked 72nd in the world, took the opening set after Alcaraz failed to convert a straightforward forehand. “I actually felt very good. I got a break point and missed a very simple forehand. I was too rushed and lacked the patience to think it through,” Alcaraz said.

The former world No. 1 responded immediately. He saved two break points in the opening game of the second set, then broke Faria three times to level the match. Alcaraz carried that momentum into the third set and put the pressure back on his opponent.

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I actually felt very good. I got a break point and missed a very simple forehand. I was too rushed and lacked the patience to think it through.

Wearing a white wrist support, Alcaraz continued to press in the fourth set. He twice moved to within a game of victory at 5-1 before completing the win after two hours and 40 minutes. “After losing the first set, I tried to stay focused, remain calm and believe that good things would happen again,” he said.

Alcaraz has now won his past 16 Grand Slam matches, following titles at last year’s US Open and this year’s Australian Open. A right-wrist injury kept him out for more than four months and caused him to miss the French Open and Wimbledon. He next faces Wu Yibing, while pursuing a third US Open crown and a first men’s repeat title in 18 years since Roger Federer’s 2008 five-title run ended the previous year.

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After losing the first set, I tried to stay focused, remain calm and believe that good things would happen again.