“Better than I thought” – Alcaraz confirms US Open dominance in style, test vs Paul awaits

Carlos Alcaraz continued his march through New York with a clinical 6-3, 6-4, 6-1 win over Yibing Wu, sealing his spot in the fourth round without much fuss — on the scoreboard, at least.

The result stretches his win streak on hard-court Slams to 17 straight matches and marks his 10th consecutive victory at the US Open. It’s also the 16th time in his career that the Spaniard has reached the second week of a major, and his fifth trip to the Round of 16 in New York alone.

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The numbers back up the dominance: Alcaraz struck 21 winners against 33 unforced errors, landed 6 aces, and won 69% of his first-serve points. He converted 7 of 15 break points (47%), compared to just 2 of 7 for Wu (29%) – a gap that ultimately decided the contest. At net, Alcaraz was efficient too, winning 7 of his 8 approaches.

But the scoreline undersells how much work Alcaraz actually had to put in. Playing in a lighter shirt after visible discomfort in his first two rounds, the world No. 3 admitted the rhythm Wu imposed was a real challenge.

“I think today was a really high rhythm,” Alcaraz said. “The way he plays is unbelievable – the rhythm he has, every time on his forehand, the ball bounces a lot on the court, which for me is really difficult to deal with sometimes. But I stayed there, I played aggressive, I played smart. In the toughest moments, I’m really happy with how I handled it. I think I did everything well. It could be better — but overall, I’m proud and happy with the performance today.”

Physically, I thought I was going to be dead after the first match. But I’m recovering really well.

Returning from a four-and-a-half-month injury layoff, Alcaraz has now played three matches at Flushing Meadows – and by his own admission, things are going better than expected.

“To be honest, I’m better than I thought,” he said. “Physically, I thought I was going to be dead after the first match. But I’m recovering really well. I’m doing great things off the court to stay in good shape. Right now, I think my level is really good. I’ve caught the rhythm of competition — every time I step on the court, I give it everything, and I try to improve and be better after every match. I think I’m getting there, so I’m happy about it. Hopefully, in the next round, I’ll be a bit better.”

Asked directly how he felt physically, Alcaraz didn’t hesitate: “Better than ever.”

Next up: a tired Tommy Paul?

Alcaraz will face American Tommy Paul, the No. 20 seed, in the Round of 16 — a rematch of sorts against a resurgent player who had to dig deep to get there. Paul edged Kazakhstan’s Alexander Bublik (No. 15 seed) 6-4, 3-6, 6-7 (4), 6-1, 6-3 in a five-set battle on Friday evening, after previously beating Croatia’s Dino Prizmic (6-2, 6-3, 5-7, 6-4) and qualifier Chak Lam Coleman Wong (6-7 (3), 6-1, 6-3, 6-3).

Alcaraz is well aware that the extra mileage on Paul’s legs could work in his favor, and that home crowd support could work against him.

“I think there were a couple of mistakes today that hopefully I won’t repeat in the next round,” Alcaraz said. “Obviously, he’s going to play at home, which is going to be a bit of an advantage for him. But let’s see – hopefully he’ll be a little tired from today’s match. I’m going to try to settle in better, return a bit better.”

US Open 2026, men’s singles, third round

A. Zverev [1] vs A. Tabilo [25] – not played
L. Darderi [21] vs D. Sweeny (W) – not played
M. Zheng (W) vs A. Gea (L) – not played
Z. Bergs [31] vs B. Van de Zandschulp – not played
K. Khachanov vs B. Bonzi – not played
J. Mensik [17] vs L. Tien [14] – not played
T. Fritz [9] vs F. Cerundolo [24] – not played
A. Blockx [28] vs F. Cobolli [5] – not played
D. Medvedev [7] d. A. Rinderknech [26]: 6-4, 6-4, 6-4
V. Vacherot [22] vs F. Tiafoe [11] – not played
A. Michelsen vs D. Merida – not played
T. Etcheverry [27] vs M. Navone – not played
B. Shelton [8] vs D. Shapovalov – not played
J. Lehecka [18] vs S. Tsitsipas – not played
T. Paul [20] d. A. Bublik [15]: 6-4, 3-6, 6-7(4), 6-1, 6-3
C. Alcaraz [2] d. Y. Wu: 6-3, 6-4, 6-1