Jessica Pegula stunned by Carlos Alcaraz’s shocking US Open return…
Jessica Pegula couldn’t see herself making the same kind of return as the one Carlos Alcaraz is making Monday at the U.S. Open after not playing a competitive match for more than 4 months.
Alcaraz will face Russian Roman Safiullin in the first round, marking his first match of this magnitude since mid-April when he was sidelined by a wrist injury. The Spaniard opted to skip the Cincinnati Open earlier this month, which shocked Pegula.
Carlos Alcaraz of Spain stretches to play a forehand during a observe session with Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York City on Sunday, August 30, 2026. Getty Images
“I thought, ‘Wow, that’s a tough thing to do,’ but I think he’s kind of a special player, obviously,” she said after successful her first-round match Sunday.
Pegula, who defeated Elena-Gabriela Ruse in straight units in the opening round on Sunday, also famous that because it’s best-of-five to win a match in the males’s tournament, it might also give Alcaraz a bit further wiggle room to shake the rust off.
“I do think it gives a little more leeway for him to work his way into matches, where if it’s two out of three, like for the women, that to me is a little bit tougher,” she explained. “Because you lose the first set and you come out a little rusty, you’re, like, ‘Oh, my gosh, if I don’t win the second set, then I’m out.’”
Alcaraz has missed out on more than half of the major tournaments this season and several other ATP occasions as properly, however Pegula had little doubt that he can rise to the event in Queens. “I think if he can win his first couple of rounds, he’s gonna find his form very, very fast,” she said.
Tommy Paul is confident that an American man might win the U.S. Open this yr.
Jessica Pegula of the US at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens, New York. JASON SZENES FOR THE NEW YORK POST
No American man has received a Grand Slam title in Flushing Meadows since 2003, however Paul said that “the Americans have been playing great tennis leading into the U.S. Open.”
“This is always where we want to play well. This is always where we have, I guess, the most energy going into matches,” he said. “To get across the line, I’m not sure. Obviously we’re going to have to play really, really good tennis and really clutch tennis.”
Rick Pitino was again in Queens, just a few miles away from St. John’s campus. The Red Storm head coach returned to the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center to absorb the evening session of Day 1 of the tournament.
Yankees nice CC Sabathia and his spouse Amber sit behind St. John’s coach Rick Pitino in a collection as Novak Djokovic performs against Mariano Navone in the first round of the US Open. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST
Pitino had attended an evening session at last yr’s U.S. Open as properly.
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