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

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