Alcaraz is imbued with boundless enthusiasm and energy, not to mention skill, speed, stamina and sangfroid. And now he’s the US Open champion and the No. 1 player in men’s tennis. Using his unusual combination of moxie and maturity, Alcaraz beat Casper Ruud 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 (1), 6-3 on Sunday to win the trophy at Flushing Meadows and become the youngest man to led the ATP. rankings. “Everything came so fast. For me it’s unbelievable. It’s something I’ve dreamed of since I was a kid, ever since I started playing tennis,” said Alcaraz, who people of a certain age might still think of as a kid. “Of course,” he said, “I’m hungry for more.” WATCHES | Alcaraz tops Rudd in US Open men’s final:
19-year-old Carlos Alcaraz from Spain wins the US Open
Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz won his first career grand slam title by defeating Norway’s Casper Ruud 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 (1), 6-3 in the US Open final. Alcaraz, who will move up three rankings from No. 4 on Monday, has already attracted plenty of attention as someone seen as the Next Big Thing in a sport dominated for decades by the Big Three of Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer . “He’s one of those rare talents that comes along every once in a while in sports. It looks like it,” said Rudd, a 23-year-old from Norway. “Let’s see how his career goes, but everything is going in the right direction.” The Spaniard was serenaded by choruses of “Ole, Ole, Ole! Carlos!” that echoed off the arena’s closed ceiling — and Alcaraz often motioned for the audience to get louder. There were a few magic spots that drew a standing ovation, including one where Alcaraz missed a laser from a running vard as he ended up face down on his stomach. He only briefly showed signs of fatigue as he had to go through three straight five sets in the three rounds just before the final. No one had gone through this grueling route on the way to the title in New York in 30 years. Alcaraz went five sets against 2014 US Open champion Marin Cilic in the fourth round, which ended at 2:23 a.m. of Tuesday. against Jannik Sinner in the quarterfinals, a 5 hour 15 minute thriller that ended at 2:50 am. on Friday after Alcaraz had to save a match. and against Francis Tiafoe in the semi-finals. “This is no time to be tired,” Alcaraz said. This was not a cakewalk. He faced a pair of set points while trailing 6-5 in the third. It could have been a moment that changed the outcome. But Alcaraz erased each of those opportunities for Roode, with the quick reflex volleys he repeatedly displayed. “He played really well in those points. We’ve seen it many times before: he steps up when he needs to,” Rudd said. “When he’s close, he makes great shots.” A break in the fourth was all it took for Alcaraz to seal victory in the only Grand Slam final between two players seeking both a first major championship and the top spot in the ATP Electronic Rankings, which dates back to 1973. The winner was guaranteed to top Monday’s standings. the loser was guaranteed second. The dawn of a new era. After tomorrow, four men will be vying for world number one in the 2020s. pic.twitter.com/sbjWsrk4Fs —@usopen “We knew what was at stake,” said Rudd, who entered the US Open No. 7. “I’m disappointed, of course, not to be No. 1, but No. 2 isn’t too bad either. .” He was also Nadal’s runner-up at the French Open in June. If anything, Rudd gets the sportsmanship award for conceding a point he knew he didn’t deserve. He made it 4-3 in the first set when he ran into a short ball that bounced twice before his racket touched it. The game continued, and Alcaraz hesitated, then answered indifferently. Roode told the chair umpire what had happened, awarding the point to Alcaraz, who responded with a thumbs-up. Alcaraz certainly appears to be a rare talent, possessing an all-court game, a blend of ground power with a willingness to push forward. He scored 34 of the 45 points he finished in net. He’s increasingly a threat on serve — he dished out 14 aces at speeds up to 128 mph — and returning, winning 11 break points to go with three conversions. Carlos Alcaraz celebrates after winning the third set tiebreak against Casper Ruud on Sunday. (Al Bello/Getty Images) And, as Rudd noted, Alcaraz showed “an incredible fighting spirit and will to win.” Make no mistake: Rudd is no slouch. There’s a reason he’s the youngest man since Nadal to reach two major finals in one season. But this was Alcaraz’s time to shine under the lights. Some perspective: He’s the first teenager to win the US Open since Pete Sampras in 1990, the first to triumph at any Slam since Nadal at the 2005 French Open. Decent company. Another way to tell how precocious Alacaraz is: The last person to win this tournament in his second appearance was Pancho Gonzalez in 1948, before professionals were allowed on the field. For the context of the ranking, it is useful to know that Novak Djokovic did not play in the US Open or the Australian Open this year, was unable to enter these countries because he has not been vaccinated against COVID-19, and did not receive any Championship ranking boost Wimbledon because no points were offered for anyone after the All England Club banned athletes from Russia and Belarus due to the invasion of Ukraine. Regardless of the circumstances, it is significant that Alcaraz is the first male teenager at No. 1. No one else did. Not Nadal, not Djokovic, not Federer, not Sampras or anyone else. CongratulationsGreat effort —@RafaelNadal When a last serve winner glanced off Rudd’s frame on Sunday, Alcaraz fell to his back on the court and then rolled onto his stomach, covering his face with his hands. He took to the stands for hugs with his coach Juan Carlos Ferrero, a former No. 1 himself who won the French Open in 2003 and reached the final of that year’s US Open, and others, crying the entire time. “She was born to play these kinds of tournaments, she was born to play these kinds of matches,” said Ferrero, who has worked with Alcaraz for three years. “From the moment I started with him, I saw some things that were different from other kids his age.” You can only reach No. 1 for the first time once. You only win a first Grand Slam title once. Many people expect Alcaraz to celebrate these kinds of feats for years to come. “I want to become [at] the top for many, many weeks — hopefully many years,” he said. “I will work hard again after this week, these amazing two weeks. I’m going to fight [to] they have more than that.”
Krejcikova, Siniakova completed their career Grand Slam
The only thing that could have stopped Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova at the Grand Slam tournaments this year was COVID-19. The Czechs won their third major of 2022 and completed a career Grand Slam on Sunday, beating Caty McNally and Taylor Townsend 3-6, 7-5, 6-1 late in the US Open women’s doubles final. Return, Czech ✔️ pic.twitter.com/ympnIf6Ypf —@WTA Krejcikova and Siniakova started the year by winning the Australian Open for the first time, but were unable to defend their title at the 2021 French Open after Krejcikova tested positive for COVID-19 and withdrew after losing her first singles match. They then won Wimbledon for the second time and now hold six major titles. The Americans were playing together in a major league for the first time since Townsend returned this year after the birth of her son in March 2021. They couldn’t match the experience of the Czechs, who started playing together as juniors. Seeded third at Flushing Meadows, it didn’t look like they would win after McNally and Townsend built a 4-1 lead in the second set. The Americans led 5-4, but the Czechs won 12 of the last 15 points to take the set and then took a 4-0 lead in the third. It was the second consecutive loss in the US Open final for McNally, who was partnered last year with Coco Gauff. Siniakova will replace Gauff – who with partner Jessica Pegula lost in the first round at Flushing Meadows as the No. 2 seeds – at the top of the WTA doubles rankings. Krejcikova will climb to No. 2 and McNally from No. 22 will return to the top 10.
De Groot records another wheelchair Grand Slam
Diede de Groot won her second consecutive calendar year Grand Slam in a wheelchair, while Alfie Hewett stopped Shingo Kunieda from doing the same by winning the US Open men’s title. De Groot, the No. 1 seed from the Netherlands, beat No. 2 Yui Kamiji 3-6, 6-1, 6-1. Won the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and US Open singles titles for the second consecutive year. She won a gold slam in 2021, adding the Paralympic gold medal to her major victories. Kunieda had won the first three Grand Slam titles this year, but second-seeded Hewett beat the Japanese No. 1 7-6 (2), 6-1. A historic moment for
