Alcaraz to face Safiullin in US Open first round at Arthur Ashe on August 31
Carlos Alcaraz will begin his title defence against Roman Safiullin in the first round of the 2026 US Open at Arthur Ashe Stadium on August 31, with a tentative start time of 12:40 pm local time (10:10 pm IST).
Alcaraz returns to competition after being sidelined for over four months following the wrist injury he sustained at the Barcelona Open in April; he is listed as World No. 3 and is seeded second in New York as he chases an eighth major title. The Spaniard is the defending champion and seeks to become the first man to win consecutive US Open titles since Roger Federer completed the last of his five straight in 2008, and his 2022 US Open triumph was his first Grand Slam title and took him to the top of the ATP Rankings as the youngest World No. 1.
Despite a gap in their rankings, Alcaraz and Safiullin enter the match level at 1-1 in their head-to-head. Their most recent meeting occurred at the 2024 Paris Olympics, where Alcaraz defeated Safiullin in the round of 16 in straight sets.
Television and streaming arrangements for the first-round tie are: Star Sports channels on TV in India and JioHotstar for live online streaming in India; Sky Sports in the United Kingdom; and the Tennis Channel in the United States.
A practice update posted on social media showed Alcaraz in good hitting form: "đź’Ş Alcaraz beat Khachanov 6-1 in their practice set today pic.twitter.com/nrZ2YOHORU". For ongoing coverage, the original source advises following Khel Now on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, downloading the Khel Now Android App or IOS App, or joining its WhatsApp and Telegram communities.
If Alcaraz progresses through the early rounds, his projected route could see him meet Ben Shelton in the last eight; Shelton recently defended his Canadian Open title in Toronto.
