Carlos Alcaraz continued to make a strong case for his comeback at the US Open, sweeping past Wu Yibing 6-3, 6-4, 6-1 to move into the last 16 in New York.

Before the tournament, some prominent voices questioned whether returning to a best-of-five-set Grand Slam after four-and-a-half months out with a wrist injury was wise. Andy Roddick and Greg Rusedski were among those who felt Alcaraz would be unlikely to gamble with his long-term health by coming back in the sport’s longest format.

So far, those doubts have not held up on court. The seven-time Grand Slam winner has handled his opening three matches at Flushing Meadows with authority and now looks increasingly like the leading candidate to complete a remarkable title run. Even so, Alcaraz suggested there is still more to come before his fourth-round meeting with Tommy Paul.

“Today was a really high rhythm. The way he plays, his balls leap around the court, but I stayed there and played aggressively and smart,” said Alcaraz.

“In the toughest moments, I did everything good, which I’m really happy about.

“Could it be better? Yes. But overall I’m just really proud and happy with the performance today.

“To be honest, I’m playing better than I thought [after over four months out injured with his wrist].

“Physically, I thought I was going to be dead after the first match. But I’m recovering really well.

“My level right now is really good, I’ve got the rhythm of the competition every time I step on the court.”

That assessment appears fair. His serve is gaining pace, his forehand is being struck with heavy power and his competitive edge looks fully restored, helped by strong backing from the large group in his box.

Alcaraz also has one of the biggest travelling entourages in men’s tennis, with coaches, brothers, parents and managers all trying to secure seats for each match. Family remains central to him, and when asked to name a dream doubles partner from his own relatives, he chose his younger brother.

“I have to say Jamie,” said Alcaraz. “He is doing great. Hopefully one day I can play doubles with him. I’m waiting for him.”

For now, the storyline is simple: Alcaraz is playing with enough control and conviction to challenge the usual assumptions about what is possible after injury, and he is doing it at Grand Slam level.

Alex Eala’s progress at the 2026 US Open has prompted high praise from a former finalist, who compared her qualities to Rafael Nadal and Jannik Sinner while also calling her the best returner in the game.

Eala has advanced to the third round in New York after back-to-back straight-set victories over Mary Stoiana and Oleksandra Oliynykova. The 21-year-old, seeded 17th, now prepares for a high-profile meeting with world No 14 Iva Jovic on Saturday at Flushing Meadows.

On the latest edition of his Off Court With Greg Rusedski podcast, former world No 4 Greg Rusedski offered a detailed assessment of Eala’s game and mentality.

“When I watch her, she reminds me a little bit of Rafael Nadal; the intensity she has on the court,” said the former British No 1.

“And you look at her positioning with her body. She’s always at the same level with her height when she moves from the back of the court, almost a little bit reminiscent of the intensity of Rafael, but the level on height with the bending of the knees like Jannik Sinner.

“So, it’s a brilliant combination she has. And the mindset is second to none. So yes, she’s got this third round match that’s coming up.

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“That’s going to be very, very difficult, but I think she finds a way to get back in the fourth round of a Slam again, after she did it at Wimbledon.”

Rusedski was equally struck by the Filipina’s returning skills.

“Well, she’s technically so sound,” Rusedski assessed. “She obviously has an incredible vision, reads her opponent’s serves and patterns exceptionally well, standing in on the court.

“And if you look at her techniques, they’re very simple, straight back, straight through. So that allows her to take the ball very early. And that’s something you can see that she’s practised from a very, very young age.

“And for me, she’s probably the best return of serve player in the world at the moment. The way she can take it so early, take your time away. It doesn’t matter if she’s facing a big server or someone who’s serving slow, she’s willing to step in.

“But the key ingredient to getting to the very top is that serve. So then she can get the first strike in and get aggressive as she does on the return. So the full package is coming together very nicely.”

Nick Kyrgios’ one-month suspension after a positive cocaine test has reopened questions about consistency in anti-doping cases, particularly after the Australian previously criticized Jannik Sinner’s handling of his own failed test.

Kyrgios revealed on social media last month that he had been suspended after a sample taken at the Mallorca Open on 22 June showed benzoylecgonine, a cocaine metabolite. He was provisionally suspended on 4 August, but is now eligible to return after the International Tennis Integrity Agency accepted his account that he used the drug at a nightclub in Magaluf on 20 June.

The agency said the substance had been used outside competition. Because Kyrgios entered a treatment programme, the matter was reduced from the three-month ban that would otherwise have applied.

That outcome has now prompted comment from fellow Australian Omar Jasika, who said he is a friend of Kyrgios. In an Instagram post, the 29-year-old reflected on his own two-year ban from 2018 to 2020 for testing positive for cocaine.

Jasika, who reached a former world ranking of 177, said the Coronavirus pandemic meant he effectively lost four years of his career because he was kept out of the game for much of the following 24 months. He stressed that Kyrgios should not have received a longer suspension, but said he wanted the “same help and understanding” that he did not receive.

He said on social media, “In 2018, I received a two-year ban after testing positive for the same substance. I accepted responsibility for my actions and served every day of that suspension. Because COVID arrived shortly after I became ineligible to return, I effectively lost almost four years of my career during some of the most important years of my life.

“Today, the rules have changed. A player in a similar situation can receive a one-month ban by entering an approved treatment program. I’m not saying Nick should have received a longer ban. I don’t believe that at all. I’m saying I wish the same help and understanding had been available to me.

“I made a mistake and deserved consequences, but losing two years of my career was incredibly difficult. At the time, I wasn’t offered treatment or a clear pathway back. I was simply removed from the sport and left to deal with everything that came with it.

“I’m glad the system has changed and now focuses more on helping players, but it’s hard not to wonder how different my life and career might have been if those same options existed for me. This isn’t me against Nick. It’s me asking whether the punishment I received was fair, and whether people affected by the old rules deserve to have their cases looked at again.”

Compatriot Max Purcell, serving an 18-month suspension for a prohibited method linked to intravenous vitamin infusion, reacted with a raising hands emoji.

Online, some users called the Kyrgios case ironic, arguing that he has now benefited from the kind of “preferential treatment” he accused Sinner of receiving. Sinner’s 2024 doping case ended with a three-month suspension after it was determined he had accidentally ingested clostebol through a first aid spray, a resolution that drew heavy criticism, with Kyrgios among the loudest voices.

In December 2024, Kyrgios said it was “disgusting for our sport” that Sinner and Iga Swiatek had been caught in doping breaches. He also said Sinner had been “protected to some degree” by the short ban. That criticism is now being turned back on Kyrgios.