US Open: Carlos Alcaraz drops first set, then cruises to third round vs. Jaime Faria

· Yahoo Sports

It's so far, so good for Carlos Alcaraz in his first tennis tournament in four-and-a-half months. But not without some stumbles.

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The Spaniard encountered early trouble in the second round of the US Open against the unseeded Jaime Faria, but then shifted up a gear in a 4-6, 6-0, 6-3, 6-2 win at Flushing Meadows. He will face China's Yibing Wu in the third round.

The win means the 23-year-old Alcaraz still has not lost an ATP match to a player younger than him. Faria is roughly three months younger than him.

A slow start was understandable for Alcaraz, who last played in Barcelona in mid-April. He had been on the shelf since then with a wrist injury, forcing him to miss both the French Open and Wimbledon. He didn't have much trouble in the first round, dispatching Roman Safiullin in straight sets.

Faria came out with a different look. After an exchange of easy holds, Alcaraz pressured Faria's serve in a 14-point game that ended in a hold for the challenger. Faria then returned the favor by breaking Alcaraz in another 14-point game to take a 4-3 lead and, later, the set.

Alcaraz responded with a level of tennis Faria just wasn't ready for. The second set was a bloodbath — Faria won only seven of his 21 service points — and early breaks in the third and fourth sets gave Alcaraz a comfortable path to victory.

With each set, Alcaraz appeared to inch closer to the form that has made him a star in New York, but it remains to be seen how that will hold up against better competition.

Assuming Alcaraz takes care of business against Wu, he will get his first true test in the fourth around, against either No. 15 seed Alexander Bublik or No. 20 seed Tommy Paul.

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