Alcaraz defeats Opelka in his US Open debut

Sports Writing (USA) (EFE).- Carlos Alcaraz defeated the American giant Reilly Opelka this Monday in his debut at the 2025 US Open and will face Italian Mattia Bellucci in the second round.

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Alcaraz, world number 2, authoritatively defeated Opelka (number 67) by 6-4, 7-5 and 6-4 in 2 hours and 5 minutes, without conceding a single game to the 2.11-meter tall American.

In the second round – where he was eliminated against all odds in 2024 – the player from Murcia will face the Italian Mattia Bellucci (no. 65), who advanced this Monday after the retirement of the Chinese Shang Juncheng, whom he was dominating by 7-6(0), 1-6, 6-3 and 3-0. Today, at Arthur Ashe Stadium, Opelka presented a duel with his powerful serve almost as his only weapon. Unable to do damage on the return, the American sought to avoid rallies with Alcaraz, a field in which he had everything to lose. “It’s very difficult when you play against someone who doesn’t let you play your game,” said Alcaraz, champion in New York in 2022, at the end of the match. As long as you win like that, you next cutting your hair however you want pic.twitter.com/HAzo5FGNz9 — US Open Tennis (@usopen) August 26, 2025
Powerful on serve
Alcaraz played a very clean first set, in which he won all his points by making 85% of his first serves with 100% effectiveness. With 2-2, the player from Murcia broke Opelka’s serve to take an advantage that would serve him to win the set 6-4. Opelka served over 200 kilometers per hour, but struggled to defend his serve: he only made 56% of first serves, accumulated double faults, and made too many unforced errors. The American, with a game reminiscent of John Isner’s, arrived in New York as the circuit leader in direct serves this 2025 with 655. Today he added another 14. The match evened out in the second set, with Alcaraz lowering his performance and Opelka improving his numbers on serve. With 5-5, the ‘tie-break’ looming, the player from Murcia got a ‘break’ to love to avoid the tiebreaker and close the set on serve. In addition to being the leader in direct serves, Opelka also arrived in New York as the circuit leader in ‘tie-breaks’ won this 2025 with a record of 27-13.

The third set was a copy of the second. With 4-4 on the scoreboard and the ‘tie-break’ approaching, Alcaraz scored a ‘break’ with a devastating double fault by Opelka. With 5-4 and serving for the match, the player from Murcia won his game at love.

At the end of the match, Alcaraz was satisfied with how he managed the rest against Opelka’s powerful serves, an opponent he had never faced before. “You feel that nothing depends on you, that everything depends on him. You must maintain concentration, put in as much debris as possible and try to be in the rally, play and seek victory,” said the man from Murcia. Alcaraz thus added his 55th victory of 2025 on the circuit, more matches won than any other tennis player. The player from Murcia also tops the list of titles won with six, the last one being the Cincinnati Masters 1,000, exactly a week ago. Against Bellucci, Alcaraz will have to shake off the ghosts of 2024, when he crashed against the Dutchman Botic Van de Zandschulp, at that moment number 74 in the world. It was one of the most painful defeats of the Murcian’s career, equaling his worst result in a ‘grand slam’.