Carlos Alcaraz sailed through to the US Open second round, but the real talking point was his new buzz cut.
Alcaraz can overtake Sinner as World No. 1 with a win at the US Open and he began his campaign confidently against Reilly Opelka.
The World No. 2 defeated the American in straight sets to set up a second round clash with Mattia Bellucci.
Despite his straightforward passage at the Grand Slam, many fans and pundits were drawn to Alcaraz’s makeover. The star explained the idea behind his new haircut, including who’s to blame.
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Carlos Alcaraz blames his brother for new US Open haircut
Alcaraz’s hair has divided fans and pundits, with World No. 12 Frances Tiafoe laying into the Spaniard’s new look.
After his victory against Yoshihito Nishioka, the American joked: “It’s definitely terrible. It’s funny, I looked at him and I was like, ‘I guess you’re aerodynamic’. I don’t know who told him that it’s good.”
During his post-match press conference after his first-round win, Alcaraz explained the person behind the new look.
“My brother, he misunderstood with the machine,” laughed Alcaraz on the Arthur Ashe Stadium court. “He just cut it. Then the only way to fix it is just to shave it off. It’s not that bad, I guess.”
Alcaraz will be hoping the new look brings him great fortune as he looks to secure his second US Open crown.
Carlos Alcaraz’s route through the 2025 US Open
With World No. 1 status riding on this year’s US Open, Alcaraz can be thankful of a pretty kind draw until the later stages of the tournament.
If Alcaraz can safely navigate past Bellucci, he will likely be rewarded with a clash against No. 32 seed Luciano Darderi.
In the fourth round, a suspected all-Spanish affair should take place with Alcaraz facing Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.
It’s not until the quarter-final stages, where he’ll likely play Casper Ruud or Ben Shelton, that Alcaraz will face his toughest test.