Carlos Alcaraz says what really caught him by surprise in his US Open match against Li Tu

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Carlos Alcaraz heaped praise on his US Open first round opponent after starting his US Open with a victory.

The French Open and Wimbledon champion took on qualifier Li Tu under the lights on Arthur Ashe Stadium.

The Australian made the most of his time on the biggest stage and managed to take a set off the third seed, but Alcaraz ultimately came out on top with a 6-2, 4-6, 6-1, 6-3 win.

Carlos Alcaraz moves into the second round where he will face the Netherlands’ Botic van de Zandschulp who took out Denis Shapovalov in round one.

What did Carlos Alcaraz say about Li Tu after their US Open match?

After losing the first set and going down a break point the second, Tu began to raise his game as Alcaraz started to commit a series of unforced errors.

This cost the 21-year-old the second set, but he managed to compose himself and normal service was resumed in sets three and four.

During his on court interview, Alcaraz was very impressed with what Tu was able to produce and plans to watch his progress moving forward.

“It surprised me a little bit. The first set it was obvious that he started the match nervous. He didn’t show really good tennis,” Alcaraz told Nick Kyrgios on court.

“But after the first set he grew up, he started to enjoy and started to play really great tennis and I was playing great. Probably a few mistakes that I didn’t want to make.

“But he was a great player, I was surprised once again. I am going to follow him and his results from now on, because I’m pretty sure if he is playing at this level I am going to see him around very soon.”

How did Li Tu qualify for the US Open main draw to face Carlos Alcaraz?

Tu, 28, who plays multiple tournaments on the Challenger circuit, had failed to qualify for the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon in 2024.

The US Open marked his final chance to qualify for the main draw of a Grand Slam this season, and he did not miss his opportunity.

He defeated Alejandro Moro Canas, Marco Trungelliti and Jesper De Jong to reach the main draw at Flushing Meadows.

Following his defeat to Alcaraz, Tu praised the four-time Grand Slam champion, who he gave a good test in New York to start his US Open campaign.

“He came out, took his jacket off and I’m like dude, this guy’s a specimen,” Tu told ESPN. “I just couldn’t stop looking at his shoulder definitions and the veins. And the forehand says it, he’s got some serious weaponry so hats off to him.”