US Open 2026: Carlos Alcaraz joins elite company with rare Grand Slam feat
(Courtesy : Getty Images)
Carlos Alcaraz defeated Wu Yibing in the third round of the US Open
Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz of Spain just pushed his Grand Slam winning streak to 17 matches in a row, and he did it at 23 years and 122 days old. That run kept going on Friday, September 4, when he beat China’s Wu Yibing in the third round of the ongoing US Open, taking the match 6-3, 6-4, 6-1 in two hours and 20 minutes.
It wasn’t a completely clean performance against Wu, who is ranked 113th in the world. Alcaraz had some early trouble with his serve in the competition earlier against Portugal’s Jaime Faria, and his forehand also went through a rough patch during the Wu match.
Even so, Alcaraz never really looked in danger on the scoreboard and finished the job cleanly. He will next face Tommy Paul of the USA in the pre-quarterfinals. He is currently 21st in the world. Paul had a much tougher road to get there, needing five sets to get past Kazakhstan’s Alexander Bublik, winning 6-4, 3-6, 6-7 (4), 6-1, 6-3 in a match that lasted three hours and 13 minutes.
Where does this streak rank all time?
Catch Every Update, Anytime, Anywhere
At 23 years and 122 days, Alcaraz’s 17-match streak puts him sixth among the youngest players to hit that number since the Open Era began.
RELATED: Watch – Fans go wild as Carlos Alcaraz takes off shirt at US Open 2026
Jimmy Connors still holds the record, having done it at just 21 years and 360 days back in 1974. Boris Becker comes in second at 22 years and 54 days, with his streak running from Wimbledon in 1989 through the Australian Open in 1990. Rafael Nadal sits third at 22 years and 83 days, covering Roland Garros through the US Open in 2008.
Bjorn Borg is fourth at 22 years and 84 days, spanning Roland Garros and the US Open in 1978, and Pete Sampras rounds out the top five at 22 years and 158 days during his run through 1993 and 1994.
A little further down the list are John McEnroe at 23 years and 125 days, Roger Federer at 23 years and 162 days, and Jannik Sinner at 23 years and 283 days, which gives some sense of just how good the company Alcaraz now finds himself in.
How many consecutive Grand Slam matches has Carlos Alcaraz now won?
Alcaraz has won 17 straight Grand Slam matches, a streak he reached at 23 years and 122 days old, running from the 2025 US Open through the 2026 US Open.
Who holds the record for the youngest player to reach a 17-match Grand Slam winning streak in the Open Era?
Jimmy Connors holds the record, achieving the feat at 21 years and 360 days old in 1974, spanning the Australian Open to the US Open that year.
How many Grand Slam singles titles has Carlos Alcaraz won?
Carlos Alcaraz has won seven Grand Slam singles titles, including two US Open titles.
For more updates, follow Khel Now on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Whatsapp & Telegram