Sharp Alcaraz pays tribute to McIlroy after US Open win

Spanish second seed Carlos Alcaraz marked his progress to the US Open second round with a golf swing celebration in honour of watching Masters champion Rory McIlroy.

Sporting an eye-catching new haircut, 22-year-old Alcaraz looked sharp in a 6-4, 7-5, 6-4 victory over huge-serving American opponent Reilly Opelka.

The five-time major champion managed to break once in each set, avoiding being dragged into a tie-break by the sixth-best server on the ATP Tour.

Alcaraz’s victory came shortly after the keen golfer was introduced to Northern Ireland’s McIlroy earlier on Monday at Flushing Meadows.

“It was the first time that I met him. It was such an honour,” said five-time major champion Alcaraz.

“On the last day of the Masters, I had just won Monte Carlo, and I was on my phone cheering on him.

“It was an unbelievable experience meeting him and having a chance to talk a little bit with him.

“It’s just amazing to watch his golf.”

Seeing off the challenge of Opelka – ranked 67th in the world as he continues to rebuild his career after injury – means Alcaraz has still not lost a first-round match in his 19 Grand Slam appearances.

The 2022 US Open champion goes on to face Italy’s Mattia Bellucci in the second round, where he suffered a shock defeat by unseeded Dutch opponent Botic van Zandschulp last year.

Wong becomes latest history maker

Coleman Wong was still “soaking in” becoming the first male player from Hong Kong to win a Grand Slam singles match in the Open era when his phone flashed with a congratulatory message from Rafael Nadal.

The 21-year-old qualifier had just beaten Aleksandar Kovacevic 6-4 7-5 7-6 (7-4) to secure his own slice of tennis history.

Wong, who started playing tennis at the age of five, moved to Nadal’s Mallorca academy in Spain at the age of 17.

“I’m still soaking it in because it’s a big moment for me and also my family, and Hong Kong people back home. It means a lot,” said Wong.

But Nadal will not be the only one sending Wong a congratulatory message.

It was in Spain that Wong met fellow history maker Alexandra Eala, who on Sunday became the first player from the Philippines in the Open era to win a Grand Slam singles match.

“Alex helped me a lot to get used to the environment because she was there for a long time,” said Wong.

“I’d never been to Spain before, and I barely go to Europe before. So from being a little kid from Hong Kong all the way to Spain, it’s tough.”

The Open era refers to any time after 1968, when Grand Slams allowed professional players to compete alongside amateurs.

Wong will face Adam Walton in the next round after the Australian beat French 22nd seed Ugo Humbert 6-4 7-6 (7-5) 5-7 6-1.

Fonseca overcomes illness to progress

Brazil’s highly rated teenager Joao Fonseca beat Miomir Kecmancovic to set up a second-round match against world number 21 Tomas Machac.

Fonseca beat the Serb 7-6 (7-3), 7-6 (7-5), 6-3 in two hours and 26 minutes.

The 19-year-old was forced to overcome illness in the third set, first calling the trainer for a medical timeout before rushing to the side of court to vomit into a bin.

“The first round is always a bit more tense, and today I felt a bit more sick in the third set,” said Fonseca.

“I didn’t know what happened. I just threw up water. Sorry about that, guys, I apologise!”

Elsewhere, world number 17 Frances Tiafoe beat Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka 6-,3 7-6 (8-6), 6-3.

American Tiafoe, who has been a semi-finalist at his home Grand Slam twice in the past three years, will face compatriot Martin Damm in the next round.

Denmark’s Holger Rune made heavy work of Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp to record his first US Open win since 2022.

The 11th seed was two sets up with a 4-0 lead in the third set, but lost the next four games to gift Van de Zandschulp a route back into the match.

But Rune held his nerve in the tie-break to seal a 6-3 7-6 (7-4) 7-6 (7-2) victory.

Ninth seed Karen Khachanov of Russia came from a set down to beat American Nishesh Basavareddy 6-7 (5-7) 6-3 7-5 6-1, while Russian 15th seed Andrey Rublev eased past Croatia’s Dino Prizmic 6-4 6-4 6-4.

Italian 24th seed Flavio Cobolli beat compatriot Francesco Passaro 7-5, 4-,6 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 in an epic lasting three hours and 42 minutes.

In contrast, Norwegian 12th seed Casper Ruud dispatched Austrian Sebastian Ofner 6-1, 6-2, 7-6 (7-5) in under two hours.

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