Carlos Alcaraz surprises himself with form after storming into US Open fourth round with win over Wu Yibing - 'I'm better than I thought'
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Updated 04/09/2026 at 22:29 GMT+1
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World No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz’s romping return to the court from injury continued with a straight-sets win over Wu Yibing in New York that earned the defending champion a place in the fourth round of the US Open.
Carlos Alcaraz
Image credit: Getty Images
Alcaraz needed two hours and 20 minutes to seal a 6-3 6-4 6-1 victory over the World No. 113.
There were question marks over what version of Alcaraz would show up to Flushing Meadows ahead of the tournament’s start as he returned to competitive tennis for the first time since April.
However, the Spaniard has enjoyed an encouraging opening week, dropping just one set in three matches to keep his hopes of history alive - and he admitted he has surprised even himself with his level thus far.
"I am better than I thought," Alcaraz said in his on-court interview. "Physically, I thought I was going to be bad after the first match, but I am recovering really well, and I am doing great things off the court.
"I think my level is pretty good. Every time I step on the court I give it my all, and I am just trying to be better and improve after every match. Hopefully, in the next round I will be just a bit better than today."
Next up is a clash with American 20th seed Tommy Paul, who defeated Alexander Bublik in five sets, for a place in the quarter-finals.
Asked where he needs to improve for that match, Alcaraz said: "I think a couple of mistakes I did today I hopefully won't make in the next round.
"He will be playing at home, which is a little bit of an advantage for him. He will be a little tired, so let's see. Hopefully, the next round I will be better than ever."
Alcaraz is bidding to become the first man in the Open era to successfully defend a Grand Slam title on all three surfaces (grass, hard court and clay), having already done so at Roland-Garros and Wimbledon.
He also has the chance to join illustrious company by becoming the first player to defend the title since Roger Federer’s run of five wins from 2004 to 2008.
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Alcaraz already made history earlier this year by completing the ‘Career Grand Slam’ of winning all four majors with his triumph at the Australian Open, becoming the youngest man in history to do so aged 22.
Sterner tests are to come if the Spaniard is to add an eighth major title to his CV, but he got off to a dream start against Wu by breaking in the opening game.
The Chinese player fought back by profiting on some errors to level up at 3-3, but Alcaraz responded by reeling off three straight games - two breaks and a hold - to claim the opener.
And that momentum continued into the second set as Alcaraz again broke early to establish a 2-0 lead, but Wu roused himself to break back and pull level once more.
The decisive moment of the second set came when Wu served to stay in the set at 4-5, as Alcaraz brought up two set points with a forehand winner and took the second as his opponent pulled a forehand wide.
Alcaraz bellowed in celebration when he broke again midway through the third set to go three games from victory, and he didn’t look back from there, going on another three-game run and finishing with a flourish by landing an ace on match point.
"I think today was a really high rhythm. The way he plays is unbelievable," Alcaraz added.
"I stayed there, I played aggressive, and I played smart in the toughest moment, which I am really happy about.
"Could it be better? Yes, but overall, I am really proud and happy with the performance today."
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