In the third round of the US Open, Carlos Alcaraz encountered a minor setback with his right knee after an awkward step during a forehand. Initially, the No. 2 seed was leading comfortably, having won 10 out of the first 14 games at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Friday. This incident led to his first break in the tournament, causing a brief medical timeout for a leg massage from a trainer. However, Alcaraz quickly recovered and dominated the match, defeating No. 32 Luciano Darderi with a score of 6-2, 6-4, 6-0, not dropping another game.
For the 22-year-old Alcaraz, this was the only challenge faced this week, aside from a hair mishap caused by his brother, resulting in a shaved head. Teasing from Frances Tiafoe about his new haircut did not distract him, and he remained unconcerned about the knee issue faced against Darderi, a 23-year-old Italian making his debut as a seed at a major.
“I just felt something not quite right in the knee, but it resolved after five or six points,” Alcaraz explained, noting the trainer’s visit was a precaution. “I’ll discuss it with my team, but I’m not worried.”
Apart from this brief issue, Alcaraz’s performance was outstanding in the 1-hour, 44-minute match. He made 31 winners against only 12 unforced errors, winning 70 of the 105 points in rallies lasting four shots or fewer.
Darderi expressed that facing Alcaraz in the third round was unfortunate, acknowledging that playing against top players like Jannik Sinner or Alcaraz was particularly challenging at this time.
Alcaraz, who will face Arthur Rinderknech in the fourth round, has improved his Grand Slam record to 80-13. Only Boris Becker, Bjorn Borg, and Rafael Nadal were younger when achieving their 80th major match win.
Rinderknech, ranked 82nd, reached his first Slam fourth round by defeating Benjamin Bonzi 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 6-2. Meanwhile, Bonzi had earlier edged past 2021 US Open champion Daniil Medvedev in a dramatic match, which saw Medvedev fined $42,500 due to an incident involving a photographer on the court.
Emma Raducanu’s best performance at Flushing Meadows since her 2021 victory concluded with a 6-1, 6-2 loss to No. 9 Elena Rybakina. Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka and 2024 runner-up Jessica Pegula advanced, while Barbora Krejcikova defeated No. 10 Emma Navarro in three sets. Meanwhile, No. 6 Ben Shelton and No. 17 Frances Tiafoe were eliminated, leaving only two American men in the competition.
