Carlos Alcaraz explains 'terrible' new look at US Open as crowd make feelings clear

Tennis fans are loving Carlos Alcaraz's new haircut after the shaven Spaniard cruised into the second round of the US Open. Alcaraz put on an impressive performance to beat American Reilly Opelka 6-4 7-5 6-4 at Flushing Meadows.

But the 22-year-old arrived looking almost unrecognisable at first glance. Alcaraz has got rid of his black locks and is sporting a shaven look. The trim has divided opinion but Monday's crowd in New York were clearly on one side of the fence.

"I've got to ask to the people if they like the new haircut or not," Alcaraz said during his on-court interview. "Do you like it, guys? I think they like it," he asked, prompting loud cheers from spectators.

One man who doesn't like Alcaraz's new look is his friend and rival, Frances Tiafoe. "It's definitely terrible," Tiafoe commented after his first-round win against Yoshihito Nishioka. "He's my guy, though.

"It's funny, I looked at him and I was like, 'I guess you're aerodynamic'. I don't know who told him that it's good. I don't know who told him to do that, but it's terrible."

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In response, Alcaraz playfully called out Tiafoe, saying: "Frances is lying. Frances is lying. No, come on. Yeah, I saw the video. He showed up here saying that it is terrible. I know he's lying. I know he likes the haircut. He like it. He told me. So no, not hear anything about coming from his mouth."

After beating the big-serving Opelka, Alcaraz also revealed the real reason behind the trim - a routine cut gone wrong. "It was just I felt like my hair was really long already, and before the tournament I just really wanted to get a haircut," he began.

"Suddenly, my brother just... he misunderstood with the machine. He just cut it. Then, you know, the only way to fix it is just shave it off. It's just what he came, this haircut.

What do you think of Carlos Alcaraz's hair? Have your say in the comments section.

"To be honest, it's not that - it's not that bad, I guess. It's just - okay, I'm not really into the hair at all. So, I'm the guy who thinks, 'Okay, the hair grows, and in a few days it's going to be already okay, I guess'. It just happened, and that's it.

"Some people like it. Some people don't like it. To be honest, I'm just laughing about the reaction of the people. It is what it is. So I can't do anything else right now, so I'm just laughing about everything that they are talking about my haircut."

Alcaraz will face Italian Mattia Bellucci in the second round. He'll be looking to avoid a repeat of his shock exit at the same stage of last year's US Open and instead pull off a repeat of his triumph in 2022.