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Carlos Alcaraz returned to action at last week's Cincinnati Open following his loss to Novak Djokovic in the gold medal play-off match at the Paris Olympics. He received a bye into the second round, where he faced French veteran Gael Monfils.
Alcaraz nabbed the first set and was on track for a routine victory. However, Monfils dug deep and pushed the second set to a tie-break, in which he led 3-1 before the play was suspended due to the weather. When they took to the court the next day, the Frenchman staged a valiant comeback to beat his younger rival 4-6, 7-6 (5), 6-4.
The young Spaniard found it tough to cope with the fast conditions in Cincinnati, and even smashed his racquet in frustration. An early exit could signal the start of a slump but that's unlikely to be the case here. Despite the loss, it's too soon to be ringing alarm bells when it comes to his form, and here's why:
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Carlos Alcaraz is a big match player, and has stepped up at the Majors in recent years
Carlos Alcaraz's prep for the US Open got off on the wrong foot with an early exit from the Cincinnati Open. However, going by his past track record, he's known to bounce back in spectacular fashion, almost immediately.
Alcaraz missed a good chunk of the clay swing this year and only competed at the Madrid Open, where he was the two-time defending champion. He lost to Andrey Rublev in the quarterfinals. As such, he wasn't the leading contender to win the French Open, given the injury concerns surrounding him and his form.
The 21-year-old proved the doubters wrong, as he beat the in-form Jannik Sinner in five sets in the semifinals, and then staged a fightback to one-up Alexander Zverev in the summit clash. Back in the winner's circle once again, he was expected to crush his opponents on grass as he remained unbeaten on the surface last year.
That wasn't the case this time as Alcaraz's title defence at the Cinch Championships at Queen's Club came to an end in the second round. He then staged a quick turnaround to defend his title at Wimbledon, with a convincing win over Djokovic in the final.
The Spaniard has shown twice this year that regardless of what happens before a Major, it's a fool's errand to count him out. He thrives at the biggest stages of the sport, and hasn't failed to rise to the occasion when it mattered.
Carlos Alcaraz has performed well at the US Open even without winning a title in the lead-up to it
Carlos Alcaraz is yet to win a title leading up to the US Open, though that hasn't stopped him from performing well at the season's final Major. He first contested the US summer swing in 2021. He crashed out in the first round of the Cincinnati Open but redeemed himself with a semifinal finish at the Winston-Salem Open.
Alcaraz's debut at the US Open was quite memorable, beating World No. 3 Stefanos Tsitsipas en route to the quarterfinals. It marked his first win over a top-10 player. He eventually retired from his last-eight clash against Felix Auger-Aliassime due to an injury.
The Spaniard made a swift exit from the Canadian Open the following year as he failed to win a match. He improved with a quarterfinal appearance at the Cincinnati Open, and then went on to win his maiden Grand Slam crown at the US Open.
Alcaraz had his best preparation for the US Open last year. He started with a quarterfinal showing at the Canadian Open, and almost won the Cincinnati Open. However, Djokovic saved a championship point to deny him the title. He later made the semifinals in New York.
Alcaraz has always made the second week of the US Open, regardless of his results before the tournament. He has a 16-2 career record in New York, and arrives this year on a 14-match winning streak at the Majors. He'll have plenty of threats to deal with, from Djokovic to Sinner, but he has beaten them all in the past.
While an early loss does sting, especially for a player of his caliber, Alcaraz only has to look back at his recent performances to know that he will overcome this brief lull. He has already made plenty of comebacks in his young career, and it wouldn't be that surprising to see him lift his third straight Major title in two weeks' time.
