Carlos Alcaraz recovers from slow start to book third-round spot

Carlos Alcaraz, the defending champion, slowly returned to form at the US Open, overcoming a slow start to defeat Jaime Faria 4-6, 6-0, 6-3, 6-2 and advance to the third round. The 19-year-old Spaniard, playing his first tournament since a wrist injury derailed his schedule at the French Open and Wimbledon, found his rhythm and took control of the second and third sets.

Alcaraz's dominant performance saw him win the next eight games in a row to establish a 2-0 lead in the third set. If he continues this momentum, Alcaraz would become the first man in the open era to successfully defend a grand slam title on all three surfaces. Russian wildcard Andrey Rublev was eliminated in a surprising loss to American Daniel Merida, who accidentally aimed a racket at his own face during the fourth set.

Merida went on to defeat Spanish qualifier Daniel Merida 6-7 (3), 6-2, 6-4, 6-4 and secure his place in the third round. In other matches, Ben Shelton, the eighth seed from the United States, required four sets to overcome Poland's Hubert Hurkacz. Meanwhile, 19-year-old Rafael Jodar, the Spanish youngster who started the season ranked 165 and has since climbed to world number 13, was defeated 6-2, 6-1, 6-1 by Chinese lucky loser Yunchaokete Bu.

Mariano Navone's dramatic victory over an ailing Novak Djokovic further bolstered his confidence, leading him to a 4- set win over former Wimbledon finalist Matteo Berrettini in the third round, setting up a potential third-round matchup against Tomas Martin Etcheverry.