How & Where to Watch Roman Safiullin vs. Carlos Alcaraz? Start Time, Live Stream, Cable and US Open TV Channels

Defending champion and World No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz is set to return to competitive singles action for the first time since April when he takes on Roman Safiullin in the first round of the 2026 US Open at Arthur Ashe Stadium.

The 23-year-old Spaniard is making his comeback after a four-month layoff due to a right wrist injury. The injury forced him to miss both the French Open and Wimbledon, making his return to New York one of the biggest story of the tournament.

However, Alcaraz faces a dangerous opening-round opponent in Safiullin. The Russian, currently ranked No. 99 in the world, already has a straight-sets victory over Alcaraz on hard courts, defeating the Spaniard at the 2023 Paris Masters.

The match is scheduled to begin at 1:30 p.m. EDT in the United States on Monday, August 31. For tennis fans watching from other regions, the match starts at 6:30 p.m. BST in the United Kingdom, 7:30 p.m. CEST in Spain, and 8:30 p.m. MSK in Russia.

Where to Watch Carlos Alcaraz vs. Roman Safiullin

For fans in the United States, the match will be broadcast on the ESPN Network. Viewers can watch on ESPN or stream every court live through the ESPN App with an ESPN Unlimited plan.

In the United Kingdom, the entire tournament is available live on Sky Sports, including the dedicated Sky Sports Tennis and Sky Sports Main Event channels.

Tennis fans in Spain can follow the action live through Movistar+, while viewers in Russia can watch the tournament on Eurosport, which is providing coverage across its television channels and digital platforms.

2026 US Open Essentials

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