Carlos Alcaraz made a convincing return to competition at the US Open, but Patrick Mouratoglou believes it is still too soon to say whether the defending champion is ready to mount a full challenge for another Grand Slam title in New York.

Alcaraz opened his campaign with a straight-sets victory over Roman Safiullin, the Spaniard reporting that he felt no pain in his wrist in his first match back after more than four months away from action. The result naturally raised expectations, especially with Jannik Sinner absent because of injury, but Mouratoglou remains measured in his assessment.

The former coach of Serena Williams, now back in the coaching box at the US Open with Stefanos Tsitsipas, said in a LinkedIn post: “It’s too early to know if he can win the US Open,” he declared in a LinkedIn post.

He expanded on why the first-round performance alone does not provide a complete answer. For him, the real issue is not whether Alcaraz can produce elite shotmaking, because that has never been in doubt. Instead, he wants to see what happens when the level drops during the physical and mental demands of a five-set tournament.

“A Grand Slam is a completely different challenge: five-set matches, two weeks of competition, and a physical and mental load that practice simply cannot reproduce.

“What I wanted to look at first was his consistency. With Carlos, the high level has never been the question. He will produce incredible shots. He will create things very few players in the world can create. The important question, especially after such a long absence, is what happens when his level drops.

“How low does it go? How long does it last? Does he lose concentration for two or three points and immediately come back? Does he give away a game through unforced errors? Or does the drop last an entire set?

“That distinction is extremely important. Almost nobody can maintain their highest level throughout a five-set match. Every player has highs and lows. Champions find ways to make their lows good enough and short enough to stay in control.

“There was another thing I wanted to see from Carlos: creativity. The best Carlos is a Carlos who enjoys himself on court. By “having fun”, I don’t mean joking or entertaining the crowd. I mean feeling free enough to be creative, to see the game and express the incredible variety he has.

“After four months without competition, that isn’t automatic. Pressure can affect creativity. So can the feeling of being underprepared. And Carlos has another source of pressure here: Jannik Sinner is not in the draw, which creates a huge opportunity for him.”

Alcaraz now moves on to face Jaime Faria in the second round. Mouratoglou expects the test to become more revealing as the event unfolds, with Alcaraz needing to build rhythm and resilience match by match if he is to stay on course for the second week.

This first win offers encouragement, but the deeper examination lies ahead. The questions now are whether his body holds up, how he recovers, and whether his consistency remains intact as the opposition improves.

“We’ll learn much more in the next rounds. One thing hasn’t changed, though. If Carlos feels free enough to be creative and keeps his low moments under control, he is still the man to beat at this US Open. Even after 139 days away.”

Carlos Alcaraz began his US Open campaign with a straight-sets win over Roman Safiullin on the Grand Slam’s second day, marking a successful return to competition after a wrist injury forced him out since April’s Barcelona Open.

The Spaniard needed only one match to remind the field why he remains among the favourites for the title, especially with Novak Djokovic already gone and Jannik Sinner absent from the draw. His reward is a second-round meeting with Jaime Faria, while the road ahead could become far more demanding if he keeps progressing.

Not everyone is fully convinced the tournament will unfold smoothly for him. Greg Rusedski remains wary of Alcaraz’s condition, but several other pundits have pointed to the ease of his New York start as a positive sign.

On Sky Sports’ US Open coverage, Martina Navratilova described the timing of Alcaraz’s comeback as a “perfect situation” after his five-month absence. She said the match did not overtax him and argued that the best-of-five format can work in his favour, provided his arm stays healthy.

“He was pushed but not too much, he is going to get better and the three out of five format really helps him here, as long as the arm doesn’t get hurt,” continued Navratilova.

“If it holds up, three out of five is great because it gives him a little cushion. He doesn’t have to stress about getting broken and the other guy has to play well for three of five sets and that gives him a chance to get into the tournament.

“You could see during the match that he became more comfortable and at the end he hit that unbelievable drop shot volley inside out. He is all back!”

Navratilova also recalled speaking to him backstage after he had secured his place in round two.

“I bumped into him in the hallway,” she added. “He is so happy to be back and see everybody, that’s what he said. You can see it. He is a competitor and a kid at heart.

“He is playing a sport for a living and he is phenomenal at it and what is not to love? It is so great to have him back.”

If Alcaraz gets through Faria, he would next face either James Duckworth or Wu Yibing. A possible fourth-round match against Alexander Bublik or Tommy Paul would provide a much sterner examination of his limited match practice.

Left-handers remain a notable presence in the WTA top 200, with eight in the top 100 and another 16 sitting between 101 and 200. That means 12% of the top 200 players on the women’s tour play left-handed, and Alex Eala is among the four ranked inside the top 30.

Based on the latest WTA Rankings from Monday 31 August, here is a look at the seven highest-ranked left-handed players in women’s tennis.

At No 7 is Oksana Selekhmeteva, who is ranked 93rd and owns a career-best mark of 71st, reached in March 2026. The 23-year-old changed nationality from Russian to Spanish earlier this year and has claimed two WTA 125 titles.

No 6 is Wang Xiyu, currently 80th in the rankings. The Chinese player reached a career-high of 49th in January 2023 and has one WTA Tour title, won in Guangzhou in 2023.

Leylah Fernandez holds the No 5 spot on this list. She is 33rd in the world, 20 places off her best ranking of 13th from August 2022. The Canadian has won five WTA Tour titles, including one at 500 level and four at 250 level, and was runner-up at the 2021 US Open.

Sara Bejlek is ranked 30th and sits just one place from her career-best of 29th, achieved last month. The 20-year-old Czech has one title, taken at the WTA 500 event in Abu Dhabi in February.

Maja Chwalinska is No 3 among the left-handers, placed 23rd and one spot shy of her peak of 22nd from June this year. The 24-year-old Pole has not yet won a main-tour title, but she has three 125/Challenger titles and reached her only tour-level final at the 2026 French Open as a qualifier.

Alex Eala comes in at No 2. She is at a career-high world No 18 after a strong run before the 2026 US Open. The 21-year-old won her only title so far in Washington DC last month and reached the fourth round at the 2026 Wimbledon Championships.

Diana Shnaider tops the group as the highest-ranked left-hander in the women’s game. The world No 16 reached a career-best No 11 in May 2025, has five WTA Tour titles, and made her best Grand Slam run by reaching the semi-finals at the 2026 French Open.