Rory McIlroy-inspired Carlos Alcaraz breezes into US Open second round with straight-set win over Reilly Opelka - 'I just admire him a lot'
Updated 26/08/2025 at 11:43 GMT+1
It is easy to think elite athletes do not get starstruck upon meeting other stars at the top of their respective sports, but Carlos Alcaraz was taken aback when he had the chance to meet Masters champion Rory McIlroy before his first-round clash against Reilly Opelka at the US Open. Alcaraz revealed what he loves about the Northern Irishman after sealing a straight-set victory on Arthur Ashe.
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Carlos Alcaraz made the perfect start to his US Open campaign by taking a straight-set victory over home favourite Reilly Opelka - but his meeting with golfing hero Rory McIlroy beforehand may well have been the highlight of his evening.
The shaven-headed world No. 2 made comfortable work of his first-round tie on Arthur Ashe, not dropping a single break as he wrapped up 6-4 7-5 6-4 victory in a little over two hours.
Before his curtain-raiser at Flushing Meadows, Alcaraz had the opportunity to meet one of his sporting idols in McIlroy. The Northern Irishman dramatically won the Masters in April to complete his long-awaited career Grand Slam, and Alcaraz spoke about his admiration for the golfing star.
"Well, it was the first time that I met him," Alcaraz said. "It was such an honour. I mean, I just admire him a lot. I'm just a huge fan of golf.
"The last day of the Masters I just won Monte Carlo, and in my celebration I was with the phone cheering on him, supporting him. It was an unbelievable experience for me meeting him and had a chance to talk a little bit with him.
"You know, as a person, he seems a really good guy, really close person. As an athlete, he has shown what he is capable of doing, his swing, his golf.
"It's just amazing to watch his golf. So I just admire him a lot."
Alcaraz donned a new look as he took to the hard courts of the New York Slam, but his relentless game very much appeared the same - the Spaniard zipping around the court to give Opelka minimal room for error.
Such was the pressure he was applying on the American that he forced a break point in the opening game. Opelka managed to wriggle away, but did go a break behind in his third service game, despite saving four break points in a tightly-contested opening set.
Opelka appeared sturdy in the second set as he thundered home two immediate holds with little in the way of an Alcaraz reply, and buoyed by his home crowd, looked to take a big advantage when he gained two break points on the five-time Grand Slam champion.
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Alcaraz, though, quickly eradicated any suggestions of a break by romping home four consecutive points to recover the hold.
And despite appearing a tougher proposition, Opelka's resistance was broken as the unseeded 27-year-old was broken to love for 6-5, Alcaraz then dispatching his service game without reply to go within a set of victory.
The third set was a similar tale, Opelka undone by a single break, which Alcaraz clinched for a 5-4 lead before closing out the first-round match with a hold to love.
In his post-match press conference, Alcaraz admitted it was "really difficult to get a good rhythm" against Opelka, and noted the challenges of dealing with his serve.
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"Opelka is such a tough opponent, big serve," Alcaraz said. "He doesn't let you go on rallies. It was difficult for me to get the good rhythm and the good feeling from the baseline.
"So I just tried to return well, playing as long a point as I can and trying to get the good rhythm and the good feeling. So it was a difficult first round, but overall I just really happy with the way that I managed everything that I played today. Good return, good point from the baseline, good serve. So I just wanted to keep it going.
"Tomorrow I will try to practice a little bit to get more rhythm. The next round is going to be with more rhythm, playing more point 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 will face Mattia Bellucci in the second round. The Italian was 2-1 up against Juncheng Shang in the first round before the Chinese 20-year-old retired.
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