Carlos Alcaraz has moved through the opening stages of the US Open with the kind of control that has made him the player to beat.

After not competing since April, the Spaniard has returned to action in New York and taken care of Roman Safiullin, Jaime Faria, and Wu Yibing to reach the fourth round. He has lost only one set across those three matches, and even with a serve that still appears below his best, he has looked composed, sharp, and increasingly convincing.

His next assignment is against Tommy Paul on Sunday, 6th September, with the order of play still to be confirmed. Even so, the match is expected to be on Arthur Ashe Stadium. It is shaping up as his most demanding test so far, and the level of opposition does not get lighter from there, with Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe among the names waiting in the next phase of the event.

For all that, the opening week has largely unfolded in Alcaraz’s favor. While he has advanced with relative ease, several of his rivals have already exited. Novak Djokovic, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Alex de Minaur, and Arthur Fils were all beaten in the first week, while Alexander Zverev, the top seed, has been pushed to five sets in both of his opening matches against Lorenzo Sonego and Quentin Halys, with both contests stretching into the early hours.

There had even been doubt in some quarters about whether Alcaraz would take part in singles at all, despite his mixed doubles debut alongside Serena Williams. Marion Bartoli addressed that speculation on Sky Sports Tennis after that defeat, saying: “When he played the mixed doubles with Serena, and they lost the second match, the rumours going around with different coaches was that he was not going to take to the court in singles,” said the Frenchwoman.

She added: “That was the rumour going into the players’ area. But he is through the first week and breezing through it. He has done the job perfectly. He has been on point with the mentality as well. He was fist-pumping a lot, having a lot of energy. You can see it is a joy to be out there.”

Carlos Alcaraz and Tommy Paul will meet in a compelling fourth-round contest at this year’s US Open.

Alcaraz has moved through the draw with minimal trouble, despite his recent return from a knee injury. The Spaniard has already accounted for Roman Safiullin, Jaume Faria, and Wu Yibing to reach the last 16.

Paul has taken a far more demanding route. The American has come through three hard-fought matches against Coleman Wong, Dino Prizmic, and Alexander Bublik, with the meeting against Bublik going the distance in five sets.

That run has left Paul convinced he can offer Alcaraz a serious examination at his home major. After his latest win, he said: “It’s crazy to be playing against Carlos again. I’d say he’s the player I’ve faced the most times on the entire tour. We’ve had some great battles, but he’s also given me a few beatings.

“Both he and Sinner are the dominant players and the ultimate test for everyone else. I’m going to give it my all; I want to play my best tennis because I know I’ll need it to beat him. I refuse to step onto the court thinking I can’t beat any opponent.

“I always go out there with the mindset that I have what it takes to win. I expect we’ll play in Arthur Ashe Stadium, and maybe it will be a night session. I know people love him in New York, but I hope they’ll cheer me on.”

The pair have met eight times on the ATP Tour, with Alcaraz winning the last five. Paul has two victories in the rivalry, both at the Canadian Open in 2022 and 2023, while Alcaraz has also beaten him in Miami and Cincinnati.

Their meetings have already covered the Australian Open, Wimbledon, and Roland Garros, all of them won by Alcaraz. Their most recent match came at the 2026 Australian Open, where Alcaraz won in the round of 16 before going on to claim the title.

The US Open clash is scheduled for Sunday, 6th September, with the order of play still to be confirmed. Arthur Ashe Stadium is the most likely setting.

Carlos Alcaraz’s latest remarks at the US Open have added fresh weight to the ongoing debate over tennis scheduling, with the Spaniard hinting that a more selective calendar may soon become part of his own approach.

After his second-round win over Jaime Faria, Alcaraz was direct about the toll of the sport’s demands. “In the future, I’m going to take some breaks,” said the Spaniard after his second round victory against Jaime Faria. Maybe not four months, but one month, two months, missing some tournaments, because it’s impossible to play them all.”

That view is easier to understand given his own recent interruption, as he was sidelined for four and a half months after a wrist injury sustained at the Barcelona Open in April. Still, the implication of his comments reaches beyond one player’s season management and could influence others at the top of the game.

Jannik Sinner has already appeared to take a similar path, particularly during the grass-court swing, where he played only Wimbledon. Now Aryna Sabalenka has also signaled openness to a lighter load.

Sabalenka was asked about Alcaraz’s comments after her third-round win over Kamilla Rakhimova at the US Open, and the world No 1 made her position clear.

“I would love to see changes to the calendar and eliminate the mandatory events to let the players decide what’s best for their health,” said the world No 1.

“It’s been incredibly intense. Especially if you play at the level Carlos plays, which is basically very consistent, it’s very hard on the body.

“If they’re not going to reduce it, we’ll have to sacrifice points, ranking position, whatever it takes, to protect our bodies. I think it would be really helpful for the WTA and ATP to relax the calendar a bit for us in order to truly support our health.”

Sabalenka has already shown in 2026 that a more measured schedule can pay off. She skipped the Middle Eastern swing and did not compete between the Australian Open and the Sunshine Double, then captured both Indian Wells and the Miami Open.

Those are two of the three titles she has won this year. By contrast, a heavier stretch on clay and grass brought early defeats, including a round-of-32 loss to Sorana Cirstea at the Italian Open and a round-of-16 exit to Naomi Osaka at Wimbledon, her earliest loss there since 2019.