Carlos Alcaraz found another encouraging answer in his return to competition. On Friday, September 4, the Spaniard defeated Wu Yibing 6-3, 6-4, 6-1 on Arthur Ashe Stadium to reach the US Open fourth round. The victory extended his winning streak in Grand Slam matches to 17.
There is an unusual backdrop to this run: New York is Alcaraz's first tournament since he withdrew from Barcelona in April with a wrist injury. After more than four months away, winning also means rebuilding confidence in his ability to compete and recover between matches. Against Jaime Faria in the previous round, he had already found a response after losing the opening set.
The meeting with Wu came with some history. They first played in Shanghai in 2024, when Alcaraz won 7-6(5), 6-3. The archive video below, published by Tennis TV, revisits that first encounter and provides context for their matchup. It shows the Shanghai match from October 2024.
This time in New York, Alcaraz converted seven of his 15 break-point opportunities during a contest lasting two hours and 19 minutes. That sustained pressure on Wu's serve helps explain the clear final score, even though the Chinese player had spells of resistance. Reuters reported that Wu recovered an early break in the opening set before Alcaraz regained control.
The Spaniard said his physical recovery between matches had been better than he expected. After the second round, he had also emphasized finishing the tournament healthy while continuing to play aggressive tennis. It is a comeback taking shape in stages: regaining rhythm, finding his serve and maintaining his playing identity under pressure.
Next comes 20th seed Tommy Paul, who overcame Alexander Bublik in five sets. Alcaraz leads their head-to-head series 6-2. The American will have home support and presents another test for a comeback that has already carried Alcaraz into the last 16.
For Alcaraz, the pursuit of a third New York title now depends on turning the encouraging signs of the early rounds into a sustained run. His record supports his title credentials; recovery between matches and his responses on court will determine what follows.
Reporting sources: USOpen.org reports by Richard Osborn and Arthur Kapetanakis on September 4, 2026, and Chris Oddo on September 3; Reuters report by Shrivathsa Sridhar on September 4. Archive video: Tennis TV, Shanghai, October 6, 2024.