Jessica Pegula expressed doubt about being able to replicate the kind of comeback that Carlos Alcaraz is making at the U.S. Open, especially after being out of competition for over four months.
Alcaraz is set to face Russian player Roman Safiullin in the first round, marking his return to action since mid-April when a wrist injury sidelined him. Interestingly, he chose to skip the Cincinnati Open earlier this month, which caught Pegula off guard.
“I thought, ‘Wow, that’s a tough thing to do,’ but I think he’s kind of a special player, obviously,” she commented after her own first-round victory on Sunday.
Pegula secured her win over Elena-Gabriela Ruse in straight sets and pointed out that the best-of-five format in men’s matches might actually give Alcaraz some flexibility to ease back into playing.
“I do think it gives a little more leeway for him to work his way into matches, where if it’s two out of three, like for the women, that to me is a little bit tougher,” she shared. “Because you lose the first set and come out a little rusty, you’re like, ‘Oh, my gosh, if I don’t win the second set, then I’m out.’”
Despite Alcaraz missing many major tournaments this season, Pegula is confident he can perform well in Queens. “I think if he can win his first couple of rounds, he’s gonna find his form very, very fast,” she remarked.
On another note, Tommy Paul is optimistic about the potential for an American man to clinch the U.S. Open title this year.
It’s been quite a while—since 2003, to be exact—since an American man has triumphed at Flushing Meadows, but Paul believes that “the Americans have been playing great tennis leading into the U.S. Open.”
“This is always where we want to play well. This is always where we have, I guess, the most energy going into matches,” he stated. “To get across the line, I’m not sure. Obviously we’re going to have to play really, really good tennis and really clutch tennis.”
Meanwhile, Rick Pitino was seen in Queens, just a few miles from St. John’s campus, attending the night session on the tournament’s first day.
Pitino had also been present for a night session at last year’s U.S. Open.
