US Open: Alcaraz returns with a convincing victory and Sabalenka advances with authority

Following the dramatic exit of Novak Djokovic, which came on top of the withdrawal of the world No. 1, Jannik Sinner, the U.S. Open breathed a sigh of relief Monday with the reassuring and decisive victory by Spain's Carlos Alcaraz in his return after more than four months on the sidelines.

To the delight of the crowd, Alcaraz executed the game plan to perfection. The Spaniard defeated Russia's Roman Safiullin (ranked 99th in the world) in straight sets, 6-4, 6-4, enjoyed the support of fans who have idolized him for years, and walked off the court to rest without any pain in his right wrist, which he injured in April in Barcelona.

"Right now I don't have any pain at all. I don't know how it looked from the outside, but my feeling was that I was hitting the ball normally, playing pretty normally, in my own style," he said at the press conference. However, he cautioned that "I don't know how far I'll go in the tournament," trying to temper expectations.

After his heartbreaking absences from Roland Garros and Wimbledon, Alcaraz was eager to return to competition and resume his sensational winning streak at Grand Slams, which has now extended to 15 victories. With that streak, he triumphed last year in New York and last February at the Australian Open.

Alcaraz's mere presence in the draw, coupled with Sinner's absence, makes him the favorite, but to reach the final on Sep. 13, he will have to overcome many challenges, with the question of how his body will hold up in a match that goes to five sets.

Tribute to Wawrinka

Another legendary figure bidding farewell to New York, in his case, to retire at the end of the year, was the Swiss Stan Wawrinka. Winner of the 2016 U.S. Open, in a final against Djokovic, Wawrinka was honored after losing his final Grand Slam match to the Italian Matteo Berrettini by a score of 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (7/3) and 6-0.

"Here, I found a way to play my best tennis. It was always special. One of the reasons I kept playing until I was 41 was to experience moments like the one you gave us tonight," the three-time Grand Slam champion told the 8,000 fans.

Disappointing performances by Fils, Shelton and Tiafoe

The disappointment of the day came from France's Arthur Fils , who lost to Greece's Stefanos Tsitsipas 4-6, 7-6 (7/3), 6-1 and 6-4. The newly crowned champion of the Cincinnati Masters 1000, Fils has yet to deliver a standout performance at a Grand Slam, despite being mentioned among the contenders.

Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe, two of American tennis's hopes for keeping the trophy at home for the first time since 2003, didn't exactly shine in their victories either.

Tiafoe, a two-time semifinalist at the tournament, found himself down two sets to one against his compatriot Martin Damm before rallying just in time to survive a match that lasted nearly four hours.

Women's draw: Sabalenka shines, but "Iverson" Osaka steals the spotlight

In the women's draw, defending two-time champion Aryna Sabalenka passed her first test with a solid victory over Colombia's Camila Osorio by a score of 6-2, 6-4

Another contender, Poland's Iga Swiatek, the 2022 champion, swept past China's Wang Xiyu 6-2, 6-3 and will face Argentina's Nadia Podoroska in the second round, who secured her first career victory in the tournament against Switzerland's Simona Waltert 4-6, 7-6 (7/5).

"To me, (Iverson) is a pioneer"

That evening, Naomi Osaka once again stole the spotlight with another one of her striking outfits. The Japanese player, a fashion icon in the world of tennis, this time paid tribute to former NBA star Allen Iverson by sporting a basketball-inspired outfit, complete with her signature braids, elbow pad and headband.

The tennis of the two-time tournament champion (2018 and 2020) didn't live up to her style, and she barely edged out Russia's Anastasia Zakharova 7-6 (8/6) and 7-6 (7/3). "I'm always nervous on my debut here because I want to do well and I want to keep showing you more outfits," explained the former world No. 1.

"For me, (Iverson) is a pioneer," she noted. "He's also someone I admire a lot, because, in a way, he's contributed a lot to the world of fashion, whether intentionally or not, but he's changed the way NBA players dress."