Alcaraz and the Art of Losing the First Set: When Distraction Becomes a Weapon

NEW YORK – Carlos Alcaraz was already in the final by the time he dropped a set last year in the US Open. When it happened in his second match this year, he didn't look back. "After that I just tried to be focused, tried to stay calm and I'm thinking that good things are going to happen again," Alcaraz said. Alcaraz is 14-10 (.583) in his major career when losing the first set, passing Sinner (15-11) for third best in the Open era (minimum 20 matches) behind Bjorn Borg (27-13, .675) and John Newcombe (15-10, .600). He didn't drop a set last year until the final against Jannik Sinner, becoming the first man since Roger Federer in 2026 to go through his first six matches without doing so. He then beat Sinner in four sets for his second US Open title. Alcaraz has had his serve broken three times in this tournament, including twice Wednesday night, after being broken three times in 101 service games en route to the 2026 title. Alcaraz picked up his seventh major title at this year's Australian Open and is on a 16-match winning streak in Grand Slam tournaments, the longest of his career. He is 29-1 in his last 30 major matches (lost to Sinner in 2026 Wimbledon final). He will face Wu Yibing in the third round Friday. ESPN Research and The Associated Press contributed to this report.