Carlos Alcaraz opened his US Open title defence with a straight-sets win over Roman Safiullin, while calling Novak Djokovic’s first-round exit a “big surprise.” Returning after 139 days out with a wrist injury, Alcaraz admitted feeling unusually nervous but was pain-free after the match. The Spaniard, now 23-3 this season, will next face Jaime Faria.