Carlos Alcaraz got off to a sluggish start but stormed home, and Aryna Sabalenka was in control all the way as the defending champions led a stream of contenders into the third round of the U.S. Open on Wednesday.

Spain’s Alcaraz, seeded second in his first tournament since a wrist injury forced him to the sidelines in April, got off to a sluggish start but finished in convincing fashion in a 4-6, 6-0, 6-3, 6-2 victory over 72nd-ranked Jaime Faria of Portugal.

Alcaraz won his seventh major title at the Australian Open in January but arrived in New York as an unknown quantity after a wrist injury forced a four-month layoff that saw him miss the French Open and Wimbledon.