US Open 2023: Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz advances to R2 as injured Dominik Koepfer retires

In a surprising turn of events at the US Open 2023, defending champion Carlos Alcaraz had a breezy night when his opponent, Dominic Koepfer, was unexpectedly forced to retire due to a freak ankle injury.

The German national retired from the match only six points in, after rolling his left ankle while moving backward following an Alcaraz stroke sailing over the baseline.

After receiving initial treatment on the court, 29-year-old Koepfer made the difficult decision to step away midway through the second set. He was trailing with Alcaraz leading 6-2, 3-2 after an hour into the game. The pain from the injury and the risk of exacerbating it proved to be too incapacitating for Koepfer to continue.

This unexpected turn of events has set the stage for Alcaraz, who will now face South African player Lloyd Harris in the subsequent round of the tournament. Alcaraz is on a mission to be the first player to successfully defend the men’s US Open title since Roger Federer’s five-time consecutive win from 2004-2008.

However, despite his on-field performance, Alcaraz will surrender World No. 1 in the ATP Rankings on September 12 to Novak Djokovic. This is due to him dropping 2000 points as the defending champion, whereas Djokovic has no points to defend as he did not participate in the event last year.

Alcaraz could then face Italian Jannik Sinner in the quarterfinals. They previously had a five-hour-long tie at Flushing Meadows last year. This came shortly after Sinner’s Tuesday night victory against German Yannik Hanfmann, winning 6-3, 6-1, 6-1.

As the US Open progresses, worldwide audience remains eager to witness how the drama of the tournament will unfold. The spotlight is certainly on Alcaraz as viewers watch how will he perform in the subsequent matches and if he will be able to retain his champion’s crown.