Carlos Alcaraz insists he has no reason to be concerned about a possible recurrence of his wrist injury, having overcome Jaime Faria from a set down at the US Open.

Wednesday's night session in New York briefly looked like providing an almighty upset as Faria – ranked 72nd in the world – took the opening set against seven-time grand slam champion Alcaraz.

But Alcaraz served up a second-set bagel as the momentum completely switched, and early breaks in sets three and four ensured he remained in control throughout.

Having triumphed 4-6 6-0 6-3 6-2 in two hours and 41 minutes, the Spaniard will face Wu Yibing in the third round, following his victory over Jack Duckworth in round two. 

Alcaraz sat out the previous two grand slams – at Roland-Garros and Wimbledon – due to a persistent issue with his playing right wrist, after reaching four straight major finals and winning three of those tournaments.

But he says he is not playing with any fear regarding his condition as he hunts a third crown at Flushing Meadows. 

"It was a tough match for me. I felt great in the first set, but I didn't take my time and that cost me," Alcaraz said afterwards. 

"After that, I tried to be focused, stay calm and think that good things would happen. I know once I step on the court, I've just got to go for it every time. I've got to feel normal. 

"I have to hit like I was hitting before the injury. I'm feeling great. There is no reason to be afraid and not hit normally."

87.74 - Surpassing Rafael Nadal, Carlos Alcaraz (87.74%, 93-13) now only trails Bjorn Borg in the Open Era for career win rate at Grand Slam events – minimum 10 matches. Pantheon.#USOpen | @usopen @atptour pic.twitter.com/X4t7wSHtoM

— OptaAce (@OptaAce) September 3, 2026

Alex de Minaur, Frances Tiafoe and Jiri Lehecka also earned victories on Wednesday, with the former beating Italy's Andrea Guerrieri in a delayed first-round matchup.

Tiafoe beat Japan's Rei Sakamoto in straight sets and will now face 22nd seed Valentin Vacherot in the third round, while Lehecka will take on Stefanos Tsitsipas in an eye-catching tie following a three-set win over Toby Samuel.

Alcaraz's career-best streak

Injuries may have interrupted Alcaraz's rhythm and cost him a shot at two more major crowns, but when he has been fit, his form on the biggest stages has been tremendous.

This was his 16th consecutive win at the grand slams, which dates back to the 2025 Wimbledon final against Jannik Sinner and is the best run of his career.

Alcaraz, at 23 years old, is the youngest player to win 16 straight grand slam matches since a 22-year-old Rafael Nadal did so back in 2008.

And, among all players to play a minimum of 10 grand slam matches in the Open Era, Alcaraz's win rate of 87.74% is bettered only by Bjorn Borg (89.81%), as he now sits ahead of Nadal (87.71%), Novak Djokovic (87.39%) and Roger Federer (86.01%) in those charts.