Carlos Alcaraz sharply overcame Reilly Opelka in his first match of the US Open, with the five-time major winner channelling Rory McIlroy in his celebration.

With McIlroy having been in attendance at Flushing Meadows over the course of the first round, Alcaraz mimicked a golf swing in celebration after sealing a 6-4 7-5 6-4 victory.

Alcaraz, sporting a buzz-cut hair-do, grabbed one break in each set against Opelka's huge serve, holding his own in his service games to ensure no tie-breaks were required.

Asked about his celebration, Alcaraz said: "It was the first time that I met [McIlroy]. It was such an honour.

"On the last day of the Masters I had just won Monte Carlo and I was [watching] on my phone cheering on him. It was an unbelievable experience meeting him and having a chance to talk a little bit with him.

"It's just amazing to watch his golf."

19 - List of players who began their career in the Open Era to go 19-0 from their first 19 opening Men's Singles matches in Grand Slam main draws:

Bjorn Borg
Rafael Nadal
Carlos Alcaraz

Airbender.#USOpen | @usopen @atptour @ATPMediaInfo pic.twitter.com/D0WYSOMGi9

— OptaAce (@OptaAce) August 26, 2025

Elsewhere at wins for Flushing Meadows, Coleman Wong became the first male player from Hong Kong to win a grand slam match in the Open Era, as he beat Aleksandar Kovacevic 6-4 7-5 7-6 (7-4).

Andrey Rublev, Karen Khachanov and 2022 US Open finalist Casper Ruud also sealed their progress on Monday.

Data Debrief: Three of a kind

Alcaraz has now won his first 19 opening-round matches at the majors, which is a feat only previously achieved by Bjorn Borg and Rafael Nadal.

The 22-year-old, who will face Mattia Bellucci in round two, has won an ATP Tour-leading 55 matches this season, scooping six titles already.