Alcaraz, Shelton and Medvedev All Through to US Open Third Round

Alcaraz Finds His Stride After a Slow Start

Day 4 of the 2026 US Open delivered a series of significant men's second-round results, with the big names mostly holding firm — if not always comfortably. Carlos Alcaraz, the defending champion and No. 2 seed returning from a four-month wrist injury, dropped the opening set to Portuguese qualifier Jaime Faria before clicking emphatically into gear. The Spaniard's final scoreline of 4-6, 6-0, 6-3, 6-2 made the match look straightforward on paper, but the first set was a genuine test that Faria won convincingly.

Once Alcaraz imposed his tempo from the second set onwards, however, there was little Faria could do. Alcaraz reportedly said afterwards that he felt he "dispelled doubts — including his own" with the response he produced after losing that opener. He now moves into the third round with growing confidence that his wrist is holding up under tournament conditions.

Shelton Ends Hurkacz's Campaign

The standout match of the day in the men's draw may have been Ben Shelton's four-set win over No. 12 seed Hubert Hurkacz, 6-3, 5-7, 7-6(3), 7-5. The American No. 1, seeded eighth and playing in front of a raucous home crowd, had to weather a competitive second set from the Pole before reasserting control through his powerful serve and attacking groundstrokes in the third set tie-break.

Hurkacz, who has historically been a dangerous hardcourt performer at the US Open, was unable to sustain his counter-punching in the final set and Shelton closed out the match to progress to the third round. With Djokovic already eliminated and Sinner absent through injury, Shelton is among the most dangerous players left in the bottom half of the draw.

Medvedev, Tiafoe and Paul Also Advance

Daniil Medvedev produced one of the cleaner displays of the day, beating Sebastian Gorzny 6-1, 6-3, 7-5 without ever looking troubled. The former US Open champion — a two-time finalist at Flushing Meadows — has looked sharp in his opening two rounds and will be a genuine threat as the draw opens up following Djokovic's shock first-round departure. Medvedev is the kind of player who can quietly build momentum through a draw and arrive in the second week at full pace.

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Frances Tiafoe also continued his run, defeating Rei Sakamoto 6-3, 7-6(2), 7-5 in straight sets to earn a place in the third round. The crowd favourite and 11th seed has previously reached the semi-finals at Flushing Meadows and will sense an opportunity in a draw that has already lost its top seed before a ball was struck and its fourth seed in the opening round.

Tommy Paul rounded out a strong American showing, beating Dino Prizmic 6-2, 6-3, 5-7, 6-4 to set up a third-round clash in what has become a wide-open section of the bracket. With Djokovic eliminated and Sinner absent, the bottom half of the men's draw now belongs to whoever plays their best tennis over the coming days. Alcaraz, Shelton, Medvedev and a resurgent Paul all have arguments for why that could be them.