World No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz defeated USA’s Reilly Opalka at the Arthur Ashe Stadium in the US Open first round on Monday. The Spaniard overcame the American's big serves, beating him in straight sets: 6-4, 7-5, 6-4.
What also created a buzz was Alcaraz’s new haircut! The Olympic silver medallist was sporting an almost bald look with minimal hair on his head. However, on court, it was business as usual for the second seed.
When asked if today’s win put pressure on the World No. 1 Jannik Sinner, Alcaraz replied, “I don't think I'm putting pressure on his shoulders [with today’s win]. I'm pretty sure that he's thinking about his first round, trying to win as much as I did today. I'm not trying to think about the race for the number one spot. I am just trying to go as far as I can in this tournament, play my best tennis and, let's see how it's going to be at the end of the tournament. The one who plays better in this tournament will deserve the number one spot.”
When asked about his new haircut, Alcaraz replied, “I felt like my hair was already really long. Before the tournament, I just really wanted to get a haircut and suddenly my brother misunderstood the machine. He just cut it and then the only way to fix it was to shave it all, and that is why I came with this haircut. But, to be honest, it's not that good. I guess it's not that bad.”
Despite the victory, Alcaraz admitted that he had difficulty getting into a rhythm during the match, especially returning the American’s big serves. Opalka had fourteen aces in the match against Alcaraz’s four.
“Today it was really difficult to get a good rhythm. He is such a tough opponent with big serves. He doesn't let you get into rallies. So it was difficult for me to get a good rhythm and a good feeling from the baseline. So I just tried to return well, playing a point as long as I could and trying to get a good rhythm and a good feeling.
“So, it was a difficult first round, but overall, I was just really happy with the way that I managed everything and how I played today. Good returns, good points from the baseline, and good serves. So I just wanted to keep it going. Tomorrow, I will try to practice a little bit to get more rhythm. The next round will have more rhythm, playing more points from the baseline. So, let's see if I'm going to get there. But right now I'm just really happy with the way that I'm feeling,” Alcaraz replied.
Carlos Alcaraz’s second round opponent in the US Open is Mexico’s Mattia Bellucci. The 24-year-old is currently in his career high ranking of 63 but has never gone past the second round in any of the Grand Slams.
