Alcaraz drops first set, routs Faria in four at US Open

Carlos Alcaraz lost the opening set 6-4 to Jaime Faria in the US Open round of 64, then swept through the rest of the match 6-0, 6-3, 6-2. The turnaround was written into the serve numbers: the Spaniard won 69.7% behind his first delivery and an identical 70.0% behind his second, giving Faria nothing cheap to attack. The Portuguese, by contrast, landed just 54.2% of first serves and won only 30.6% of second-serve points, while piling up 11 double faults against four from Alcaraz. Five aces could not offset that leak, and Alcaraz moved on comfortably.