Defending us open

Defending US Open: Defending US Open champion Carlos Alcaraz described Novak Djokovic's stunning first-round exit from the tournament as a “big surprise” after the Spaniard returned from a four-month injury layoff with a straight-sets win over Roman Safiullin on Monday, while stressing that he remains focused on taking his own campaign one round at a time.

Djokovic's five-set defeat to Mariano Navone on Sunday brought an unexpected early end to the Serbian's campaign and removed the prospect of a potential semi-final meeting with Alcaraz. The result marked Djokovic's first opening-round loss at a Grand Slam since the 2006 Australian Open.

Alcaraz revealed that he had followed the dramatic closing stages of the contest before reflecting on the significance of the upset.