New look, same old Carlos Alcaraz.
The world No. 2 was all the buzz – literally – in his first outing at the 2025 US Open tennis as he rolled over Reilly Opelka with a controlling 6-4, 7-5, 6-4 victory on Monday (26 August).
Alcaraz’s new military hairstyle was drawing mixed reviews in a matter of minutes after he stepped on to the court, but there was nothing ambiguous about his tennis on this night, the five-time Grand Slam champion on top of the 2 hour, 5 minute contest from start to finish.
Alcaraz held serve throughout the match and kept his unforced errors down to nine, compared to Opelka’s 23.
Opelka did well to keep up for the most part but Alcaraz, seeking his second US Open title, broke in the second set at 5-5 before going up two sets on the American.
Alcaraz held firm in the final set, not committing a single unforced error to seize his first career meeting with Opelka.