Mérida succumbs and leaves Alcaraz alone in the men's draw of the US Open

It couldn't be. Dani Mérida found himself unable to stop the great tennis played by Alex Michelsen and despite the fighting spirit of the Spaniard, the defeat was inevitable. The Madrid player seemed very physically fatigued and even had some discomfort that prevented him from being as strong on his legs and quick enough to respond to his rival's attacks in the third round of the US Open 2026.

The match started well, as he managed to lead 4-3, serving with 30-0 in the first set, but everything began to unravel from there, with the American showing much more consistency in his tennis. The final score was 7-6 (5) 6-4 6-3 in favor of Michelsen. Nothing detracts from the great performance shown throughout the American tour by a Dani Mérida who must now focus on upcoming goals and continue growing as a tennis player.

Mérida was not physically fresh in his match against Michelsen at the US Open

The young Madrid tennis player still has plenty of room for improvement, aware that he needs to take one more step in terms of aggression and bite in his shots, as well as improving his serve. In any case, nothing to reproach a man whose professional growth so far this year is evident, having laid a good foundation to continue progressing.

This result represents a hard blow for Spanish tennis, leaving Carlos Alcaraz as the only national representative in the men's draw. Cristina Bucsa still remains in the women's competition, which constitutes a poor outcome for one of the great powers of world tennis, considering that we are in the final stretch of the first week of this US Open.

Alex Michelsen awaits Tomás Martín Etcheverry in the round of 16, after the Argentine defeated his compatriot Navone 6-4 6-4 6-3. It will be a great opportunity for both to reach the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Mérida sucumbe y deja a Alcaraz solo en el cuadro masculino del US Open