Carlos Alcaraz of Spain beat Casper Ruud of Norway 6-4, 2-6, 7-6, 6-3 in the men’s final of the US Open. The grand slam victory also made the 19-year-old the world number one.
He is the youngest player to become number one since Australian Lleyton Hewitt, who became number one at the age of 20 in 2001.
Ruud, 23-year-old, the highest-ranked Norwegian tennis player ever, could have been the number one had he won the match.
How did the final go?
Ruud played a grand slam final this year, losing to Rafael Nadal in the french open final. But this was the maiden grand slam for Alcaraz.
Alcaraz appeared tired from his prior late-night matches, and five-set wins, including an over five-hour game against Italian Jannik Sinner that ended at about 3 AM in New York City.
And Ruud, known for his strong groundstrokes, particularly forehand, likely surprised many with his court speed and volleys at the net. But Alcaraz, the favorite, was a favorite for a reason and prevailed, winning his first of what many believe to be first of his many grand slams, given his age, talent, speed, and mental strength.
The road to finals
To reach the finals, Alcaraz beat American Francis Tiafoe in five sets. The five-set win by Alcaraz was his third straight win that lasted 5 sets and over 4 hours.
Casper Ruud beat Russian Karen khachanov in four sets. Ruud’s win over Khachanov included a 55-shot rally.