Alcaraz sweeps past Wu to reach US Open fourth round

Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz reached the fourth round of the US Open with a 6-3, 6-4, 6-1 victory over China's Wu Yibing on Friday. BBC Sport reported that the second seed completed the win in two hours and 20 minutes, extending his run of consecutive Grand Slam singles victories to 17.

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The match was Alcaraz's third singles appearance since a wrist injury in April kept him off court for 139 days. He won his opening-round match in straight sets, then recovered from a set down to beat Portugal's Jaime Faria in the second round. Against Wu, the 23-year-old again advanced without being taken to a fourth set.

Alcaraz produced 21 winners but also made 33 unforced errors, according to the BBC report. His first-serve success rate finished at 67%, after dropping to 53% during the second set. He gave back early advantages in each of the first two sets before regaining control, then took the third set 6-1 to close out the match.

The seven-time major champion said afterward that he was recovering physically better than he had expected and felt his competitive rhythm returning. His progress comes after winning the 2025 US Open and the 2026 Australian Open in his two previous major appearances. He is now pursuing an eighth Grand Slam singles title.

American 20th seed Tommy Paul will be Alcaraz's fourth-round opponent. Alcaraz has won their past six meetings, the BBC reported. Elsewhere in his half of the draw, American eighth seed Ben Shelton is the only top-10 player Alcaraz could meet before the semi-finals.

Several highly ranked players have already exited the tournament. Novak Djokovic lost in the first round to Argentina's Mariano Navone, while Canadian third seed Felix Auger-Aliassime was beaten by Karen Khachanov in round two. World number one Jannik Sinner is absent through injury, leaving Alexander Zverev as the leading seed in the men's draw. As the second seed, Alcaraz cannot face Zverev before the final.