Carlos Alcaraz dismissed concern after requesting a medical timeout during his third-round match at the US Open, saying the stop was purely preventive. The Spaniard defeated Lucas Darderi 6-2, 6-4, 6-0 to reach the last 32 at the New York event for the fourth time.

Mid-way through the second set Alcaraz appeared to feel his knee following what looked like an awkward service landing and signalled to his team. He asked the umpire for a medical timeout at the next changeover and received treatment from the physio before returning to the court.

Alcaraz closed the match strongly, breaking at 5-4 and winning the final seven games against Darderi.

“I’m feeling good,” Alcaraz clarified, during his post-match interview.

“It was just a precaution.

“I asked for the physio. I felt something that was not good in the knee, but after five or six points, it was gone.

“I just asked for the physio to take care of the knee because there was one serve left [in the second set] and I had to be ready, had to be good, had to feel good physically.

“It was a precaution. I will talk with my team but I’m not worried about it.”

The match was Alcaraz’s first day session at this year’s US Open, starting at 11:30AM. He arrived at the match in strong form, having won 33 of his last 34 matches and not dropping a set at the US Open so far.

“I tried to stay awake,” Alcaraz joked.

“That was important.

“We started at 11:30 so it’s good that I managed to play [my game]. My first goal was to start well, to start focused, with energy and a good rhythm, and I think I started pretty well. I pushed him to the limit.

“Tried to play long rallies and get a rhythm with the serve and return.

“And after that I just kept it going. Today I played such great tennis. It was such a great performance and I’m really proud about it.

“I’m not an early person so for me it’s difficult to wake up in the morning. That was one of the good things about today. I woke up early, did my warm up. Played good.”

Alcaraz will face Arthur Rinderknech in the fourth round. Rinderknech recently defeated world No 3 Alexander Zverev in the first round of Wimbledon and then endured a five-set battle with Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in his second round match in New York.

No. 6 seed Ben Shelton ended his US Open run in the third round after an acute shoulder injury forced him to retire. Shelton, who held a two-sets-to-one lead over Adrian Mannarino, alerted his father and coach Bryan during the match, saying, “I did something to my shoulder and I don’t know what it is,” and described feeling “in a lot of pain” before calling for a mid-game medical timeout.

Despite clearly compromised movement on several strokes, Shelton continued into the fourth set in the hope of closing the match. He was unable to sustain his level and made the emotional decision to stop competing when Mannarino returned from an off-court break and completed the set. The Frenchman won a tight sixth game in the fourth set that might have yielded a crucial break for Shelton, and he closed out that set on his sixth set point.

Shelton, 22, arrived at the tournament on the back of a breakthrough summer. He is a former US Open semifinalist and captured his first Masters 1000 title at the National Bank Open in Toronto earlier this season. He followed that victory with a quarterfinal showing at the Cincinnati Open and had dispatched Ignacio Buse and Pablo Carreño Busta in straight sets in the tournament’s opening rounds.

Mannarino, 37, a former world No. 17, was making his 15th main-draw appearance at the US Open and had never advanced beyond the third round until this match. The contest concluded with Shelton’s withdrawal, handing Mannarino the victory and ending what had been a promising evening for the young American.

Medical updates on Shelton’s shoulder were not provided here, and there was no further information released at the time of the retirement.

Carlos Alcaraz arrived at the US Open in an upbeat mood, his bright yellow jacket matching a frank, easygoing tone in a press conference that stood out amid a week of volatile moments. The 2022 champion advanced in straight sets, beating Luciano Darderi 6-2, 6-4, 6-0 and reaching the tournament’s second week for a fourth time in five main-draw appearances.

“I’m trying to bring joy to the court,” Alcaraz said after a 6-2, 6-4, 6-0 win over Luciano Darderi. “So, I’m not thinking about or I’m not paying so much attention about anything else. That’s for me and the way that I’m feeling on and off the court.” He carried momentum from a title run at the Cincinnati Open and had not dropped a set through three matches on Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Still sporting his unmissable buzz cut, the 22-year-old and reigning Roland Garros champion faced a brief concern in his match when he took a medical timeout for acute knee pain. “After five, six points, you know, it was gone,” shrugged Alcaraz. “I was worried about that. That why I ask for the physio, but it was nothing serious, so I just for precaution. After that, I just didn’t feel it anymore, and it was good. So, it’s just about nothing serious.” He later took pride in closing out the match by winning the final eight games.

Alcaraz also described the unusual routine that helped him arrive ready for an 11:30 a.m. start. “I just went to bed at 11:00, 11:15,” Alcaraz recalled. “That for me is really weird, to be honest!

“I just woke 7:00 in the morning just to be ready to warm up well, feeling awake, and feeling good. So, it was an unusual time for me, but at the same time it’s good, because I’m already done with everything. So, it’s a good time as well.”

He said his relationship with the media has eased, crediting practice and exposure for his comfort. “Few years ago I just coming here to the press conference sweating,” he said with a laugh. “Like, ‘Okay, let’s see if I’m going to understand the question. Let’s see what I’m going to answer.’ So, right now I just feeling more comfortable.

“Right now, I’m just chilling!” he added to more laughs.