In front of a packed crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium, Alcaraz defeated Casper Ruud to clinch his first Major title and become the youngest ATP World No 1.
Carlos Alcaraz’s Twitter bio, though short, encapsulates the 19-year-old’s philosophy towards the game. “Tennis player. Always 100.”
On Sunday night in front of a packed crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium, Alcaraz gave his 100% and then some to beat Casper Ruud 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 (1), 6-3 in the US Open final to clinch his first Grand Slam title. In the process, Alcaraz became the youngest ever world No 1 in ATP rankings history at 19 years and four months.
Throughout his Grand Slam record stay on court of 23 hours and 40 minutes in New York over the last two weeks, Alcaraz was the personification of the Duracell bunny… endlessly running around the court and getting to shots he had no right to reach.
Coming into the final, Alcaraz had spent 20 hours and 20 minutes on court and had wowed the late-night crowds in three thrilling five-set matches from the fourth round onwards.
In a nearly four-hour match against 2014 US Open winner Marin Cilic, the teenager fought back after going a break down in the fifth set. In the five-hour marathon against Jannik Sinner, Alcaraz saved a match point in the fourth set before mounting an incredible comeback.
In the semifinal, Frances Tiafoe gave everything he had, led by a set, played sensational tennis with all the backing of the crowd, and yet was unable to overcome the Spaniard.
“He’s one of the best players in the world, for sure. He’s so young. He hits the ball so hard. I never played a guy who moves as well as him, honestly. I’ve seen him get a lot of balls, but I was hitting some drop volleys that I’ve been hitting. He’s getting there. How he’s able to extend points, incredible,” Tiafoe had said after his loss.
“He’s a hell of a player. He’s going to be a problem for a very long time.”
Still only 19 and with the Big Three of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic in the final leg of their careers (at differing stages), Alcaraz will indeed prove to be a “problem” for a long, long time.
Sunday’s final was not just the first to be competed by two men looking to win their first Grand Slam final, but also by two men aiming to be the world No 1 for the first time.
In their previous two meetings, Alcaraz had swept aside Ruud without losing a single set. The Norwegian also held a 0-5 losing record against top 10 players in Grand Slams. And yet, Alcaraz came into it with just even chances with the fatigue from playing three tiring five setters expected to finally catch up with the Spaniard.
