As happened to Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz also loses a set in his debut at the US Open 2024. The Spaniard defeated the Australian qualifier Li Tu, ranked 186th in the world, with a score of 6-2 4-6 6-3 6-1 after two hours and forty-four minutes of play. A moment of too much relaxation cost Alcaraz the second set, which he then quickly remedied, easily winning the third and fourth sets. In the second round, the winner of Roland Garros and Wimbledon will face Dutch player Botic van de Zandschulp, who defeated Canadian Denis Shapovalov in three sets in his debut.
Alcaraz finished his match with seven aces and won 79% of the points when serving his first serve. For the Spaniard, there were fifty winners but also thirty unforced errors. For Lu, it is definitely a match to remember, as the Australian walked away with his head held high from Arthur Ashe after an excellent performance, marked by nineteen winners.
The number three in the world started strong, breaking the Australian’s serve to love in the opening game and then breaking again in the third game, quickly taking a 4-0 lead. There is no match, with Alcaraz dominating and easily winning the first set 6-2 in just twenty-nine minutes of play.
It seems like a one-sided match, especially when three break points arrive for Alcaraz in the fifth game, but Lu manages to save them. The break does come in the seventh game, but incredibly from this moment on the Spaniard starts to give away points. Lu finds an immediate break back and equalizes at 4-4. The twists are not over, because in the tenth game anything can happen. Alcaraz saves four set points, but Lu earns a fifth and this time the Australian manages to close it, surprisingly taking the second set 6-4.
Tu immediately saves a break point also at the start of the third set. The Australian has to face another one in the fifth game and once again he saves himself. Alcaraz, however, has raised his level and the pressure on his opponent, who eventually gives in in the seventh game, losing his serve. The Spaniard concedes nothing and instead takes another break in the ninth game, closing the third set 6-3 and regaining the lead in the match.
After the set win, Alcaraz continues to step on the gas and there really is no match anymore. Lu has given everything and cannot maintain the Spaniard’s level, who earns a break to love in the second game and then breaks his opponent’s serve again in the fourth game, taking a 4-0 lead. Lu manages to avoid the “bagel,” with Alcaraz closing at 6-1, qualifying for the second round.