Carlos Alcaraz played a competitive singles match for the first time in more than four months and did not appear to miss a beat, prevailing 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 over Russia's Roman Safiullin to begin his US Open title defence in New York.
Before the final Grand Slam of the season, the Spaniard hadn't played since the ATP 500 event in Barcelona last April, where he injured his right wrist. Alcaraz missed the French Open and Wimbledon and only made his competitive return last week, when he teamed up with Serena Williams for the US Open mixed doubles tournament, where they won one match.
But the No 2 seed needed just two hours and 22 minutes on the Arthur Ashe Stadium court to dispatch Safiullin and signal his return.
“It's been a really tough five months for me, so to be able to step into Arthur Ashe and be able to compete again … As I said before the tournament, I couldn't have decided to come back at a better tournament, here at the US Open, here in New York,” Alcaraz said. “It's a really special place for me, a special tournament for me.
“I tried to enjoy as much as I can. I missed the crowd, the energy. I missed the competition. I missed everything, so I'm just really happy I was able to compete again.”
He admitted that he had “some doubts” about his readiness for Grand Slam tennis after his recovery.
“I've been thinking about, 'I'm going to last a match of best of five. I'm going to last playing four sets, five sets, I don't know,'” he said. "I was thinking, 'Let's see what is going to happen in the match.' I'm just happy that I won in straight sets, another win, and physically I just played really well.”
Safiullin fired nine aces past Alcaraz, who managed two aces of his own amid five double faults. But he came through, saving five of six break points while converting four of seven opportunities to break Safiullin.
His second-round opponent will be Jaime Faria of Portugal, who beat Jenson Brooksby in five sets on Sunday.
Fils crashes out
In a battle between red-hot players, No 10 seed Arthur Fils of France was shown the door early in the tournament as Greece's Stefanos Tsitsipas prevailed 4-6, 7-6, 6-1, 6-4.
Fils was playing his first match since he captured his first ATP Masters 1000 title earlier this month, when he defeated Frances Tiafoe in the final in Cincinnati. But Tsitsipas made for a tough first-round draw, as the former World No 3 had won in Gstaad, Switzerland, in July after reaching the Round of 16 in the 1000-level event in Madrid.
Those successes were on clay, but Tsitsipas translated his game to the hard court on Monday as he compiled 14 aces and 51 total winners to overcome 49 unforced errors.
“I am speechless, I don't know what to say,” Tsitsipas said in his on-court interview. “It's an amazing start to the tournament.”
Wins for Rublev and Auger-Aliassime
No 22 Valentin Vacherot of Monaco beat American foe Aleksandar Kovacevic in straight sets, while Russian 23rd seed Andrey Rublev rallied past lucky loser Otto Virtanen of Finland 6-7, 6-7, 6-0, 6-2, 7-6. Rublev saved a match point in the 12th game of the fifth set and forced a tiebreaker, where he got out to a 6-2 lead before holding on.
No 16 seed Brandon Nakashima needed 90 minutes to eliminate Argentina's Sebastian Baz 6-2, 6-1, 6-0, while fellow American Alex Michelsen dropped Italy's Federico Cina 6-4, 6-1, 6-0. Nakashima and Michelsen will collide in the second round.
Elsewhere, No 3 seed Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada downed Australia's Rinky Hijikata 7-5, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5, and No 8 seed Ben Shelton shook off a slow start to defeat the Netherlands' Tallon Griekspoor 1-6, 6-1, 7-6, 6-2. No 14 Learner Tien cruised past Portugal's Nuno Borges 6-4, 6-1, 6-2.
Osaka shows out
Naomi Osaka unveiled another bold Grand Slam walk-on outfit before the two-time champion battled to a 7-6, 7-6 victory over unseeded Russian Anastasia Zakharova to reach the second round.
Osaka has been the fashion highlight of this year's majors and entered Arthur Ashe Stadium in a hooded tunic featuring patchwork-style panels adorned with press clippings from past tournament appearances, and a billowing white tulle train.
"It's my tribute to [Allen] Iverson," Osaka said of the NBA Hall of Famer. "I really like him a lot.
"Nike said basketball, so I said 'you want basketball, I'll give you basketball'. I like expressing myself through clothes and I'm glad you guys appreciate it."
Easy wins for Sabalenka and Anisimova
Earlier at Arthur Ashe Stadium, Aryna Sabalenka ended a frustrating patch of poor form with a 6-2, 6-4 win over Colombia's Camila Osorio that earned her a clash with Russian Polina Iatcenko in the second round.
"I'm happy with my performance," said Sabalenka, who has not reached a title match since triumphing at Indian Wells and Miami to complete the 'Sunshine Double' in March. "She's a tough opponent, makes you work really hard to get every point."
American Amanda Anisimova, whom Sabalenka beat in the final last year, got her campaign off to a good start on her 25th birthday with a 6-1, 6-3 win over compatriot Ashlyn Krueger at Louis Armstrong Stadium.
Wimbledon finalist Karolina Muchova got the day underway with a routine 6-3, 6-0 win over Sinja Kraus, and the Czech seventh seed plays Briton Katie Boulter next.
Linda Noskova, who defeated compatriot Muchova in the All England Club final, downed American Katie Volynets 7-5, 6-1 to stay on track for back-to-back major titles.
China's Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen, who was forced to go through qualifying only two years after reaching the quarter-finals in New York, beat Kristina Liutova 4-6, 6-3, 6-1.
Polish eighth seed Iga Swiatek, the 2022 champion, beat China's Wang Xiyu 6-2, 6-3 to kick off the night session on the second show court.
