Carlos Alcaraz made history on Sunday evening when he battled past Casper Ruud in four sets to win the US Open for his first Grand Slam title. The 19-year-old also became the youngest-ever World No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings (since 1973).

After the Spaniard clinched his triumph at Flushing Meadows, several stars congratulated him, including Rafael Nadal, Rod Laver, Billie Jean King and more.

Felicidades @carlosalcaraz por tu primer Grand Slam y por el número 1 que es el colofón a tu primera gran temporada que estoy seguro serán muchas más! 👏🏻
Great effort @CasperRuud98 !very proud of you! Tough luck today but amazing tournament and season! Keep going!

— Rafa Nadal (@RafaelNadal) September 11, 2022

Congratulations Carlos Alcaraz and Casper Ruud on an exceptional US Open men’s final. Two great sportsmen with many more battles to come. #USOpen2022

— Rod Laver (@rodlaver) September 12, 2022

What a great final from both!

— Stefanos Tsitsipas (@steftsitsipas) September 11, 2022

Congratulations to @carlosalcaraz, the youngest #USOpen champion since Pete Sampras!

(Photo from 2021). pic.twitter.com/2dezvJvtws

— Billie Jean King (@BillieJeanKing) September 11, 2022

Congrats @carlosalcaraz on becoming No 1 and winning your 1st Major. Your power, foot speed, mentality, weapons, physicality are incredible! Just the beginning!!👏🔥💪🏆🇺🇸@usopen

— Tracy Austin (@thetracyaustin) September 11, 2022

the legend of escape from Alcaraz @carlosalcaraz amazing 🤩 effort taking out Ruud awakening for his 1st slam @usopen 🏆

— Brad Gilbert (@bgtennisnation) September 11, 2022

BRUTAAAAL @carlosalcaraz!!! Enhorabuena por conseguir tu primer Grand Slam con el #USOpen y por convertirte en el tenista más joven de la historia en conseguir el #1 de la ATP!!! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 pic.twitter.com/e0fP9h5azx

— Pau Gasol (@paugasol) September 11, 2022

Nineteen-year-old Carlos Alcaraz will on Monday become the youngest World No. 1 in Pepperstone ATP Rankings history (since 1973) after winning his first Grand Slam title at the US Open Sunday.

Alcaraz entered the 2021 US Open as the World No. 55. With his win against 23-year-old Casper Ruud in the championship clash in New York, he is the first teenage World No. 1 and the fourth man from Spain to achieve the feat, joining his coach Juan Carlos Ferrero, Carlos Moya, and Rafael Nadal.

“It’s crazy for me. I’ve never thought that I was going to achieve something like that at 19 years old. So everything came so fast,” Alcaraz said. “For me it’s unbelievable. It’s something I dreamed since I was a kid, since I started playing tennis. Of course, lifting this trophy today is amazing for me.”

The Murcia-native arrived at Flushing Meadows as the No. 4 player in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. His leap to World No. 1 is tied for the biggest in history. Three other players have surged from No. 4 to No. 1 between one Pepperstone ATP Rankings release: Moya (15 March 1999), Andre Agassi (5 July 1999) and Pete Sampras (11 September 2000).

Alcaraz has rewritten the record books en route to the pinnacle of men’s tennis. Earlier this year he became the second-youngest player to win two ATP Masters 1000 titles (Miami and Madrid), only behind Nadal, who did so in 2005. Alcaraz also became the youngest ATP 500 titlist in series history in Rio de Janeiro and claimed another crown at that level in Barcelona.

The 19-year-old leads the ATP Tour with 51 wins this season, moving him five victories clear of second-placed Stefanos Tsitsipas (46). With his US Open triumph, Alcaraz also climbed to first place in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin, putting him in pole position to become the youngest year-end World No. 1 in history. 

Andrea Gaudenzi, ATP Chairman, said: “Carlos’ rise to the top of the sport has been nothing short of phenomenal. His game has reached incredible levels this year, capturing ATP Masters 1000 titles in Miami and Madrid, and now capped off with a first Grand Slam title and becoming the youngest ever No. 1. His fearless tennis, work ethic and sportsmanship make him an inspiration for many and has raised the bar for tennis’ next era. Like so many of our fans, I’m excited to watch his incredible journey continue.”

Alcaraz became the first player to reach the top of men’s tennis’ mountain the Monday after the US Open since his coach, Ferrero, ascended to No. 1 after the 2003 tournament. Alcaraz’s final against Ruud was the first men’s singles championship match at a Grand Slam in which both players who had never been World No. 1 were competing for the top spot.

Alcaraz is the 28th player to reach World No. 1, making him the sixth active player to climb to the top spot. The teen joins Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Nadal, Andy Murray and Daniil Medvedev, whom he replaced at the pinnacle.

Alcaraz (19) and Ruud (23) are the second-youngest Top 2 in the history of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, only trailing World No. 1 Jimmy Connors (22) and World No. 22 Bjorn Borg (18) in 1975. This is the first year since 2003 there have been two new World No. 1s in the same season (Medvedev and Alcaraz).

Casper Ruud has won the second set against Carlos Alcaraz to level the US Open final 4-6, 6-2 on Sunday. In a historic winner-takes-all showdown, the victor will capture their first Grand Slam trophy and become the 28th player to secure the No. 1 Pepperstone ATP Ranking.

With the world watching, the Norwegian has grown into the clash on Arthur Ashe stadium. He has hit with greater consistency, depth and precision from the baseline, soaking up Alcaraz’s explosive power and finding the corners to level the match after one hour and 30 minutes.

Ruud arrived at Flushing Meadows as the World No. 7, having suffered a shock second-round exit against #NextGenATP American Ben Shelton in Cincinnati. However, if the 23-year-old defeats Alcaraz to earn his 45th win of the year, he will leave the hard-court major in top spot, recording the biggest jump to No. 1 in the history of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings (since 1973). He will also become the first Norwegian to climb to top spot.

The 19-year-old Alcaraz is seeking to become the youngest Grand Slam champion since countryman Rafael Nadal, 19, lifted the trophy at Roland Garros in 2005 and the youngest US Open titlist since Pete Sampras, 19, in 1990.

If the 2021 Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals champion can defeat the Norwegian and capture his 51st win of the season, he will also become the youngest player and fourth Spaniard to rise to No. 1 in the history of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings (since 1973). Spaniards Juan Carlos Ferrero – Alcaraz’s current coach – Carlos Moya and Nadal have all previously risen to top spot.

In a lively first set, both looked to attack second serves, stepping inside the baseline on return to earn the first blow in the brutal baseline exchanges. Alcaraz and Ruud fended off two break points in their opening services games before the Spaniard made his move to break for 2-1 when Ruud struck a forehand wide. The third seed, who hit 13 winners in the set, consistently scampered around the baseline to turn defence into attack, while he moved forward effectively to close points at the net.

Ruud refused to go away at the start of the second set and began to hurt Alcaraz more with his penetrating groundstrokes. The fifth seed crucially saved a break point at 2-2, before he broke Alcaraz in the following game to gain a foothold and belief. Ruud started to come out on top in the all-court exchanges, while he reduced his mistakes, committing just two unforced errors in the set to level.

Ruud survived a five-set epic against Tommy Paul in the third round, before he raised his level against seeds Matteo Berrettini and Karen Khachanov to reach his second Grand Slam final. The 23-year-old fell to Nadal in straight sets in the Roland Garros championship match in June.

Alcaraz has showcased an abundance of quality and grit to move through the field at Flushing Meadows. In a dramatic run at the hard-court major, he has won late-night five-set thrillers against Marin Cilic, Jannik Sinner and Frances Tiafoe to advance to his maiden major final, saving one match point against Italian Sinner.

Ruud, who had never been beyond the third round in four previous appearances at Flushing Meadows, has captured nine tour-level titles, including three this season. Alcaraz has lifted four tour-level trophies in 2022, including two ATP Masters 1000 crowns. The third seed, who qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals earlier this week, leads Ruud 2-0 in their ATP Head2Head series, having most recently defeated the Norwegian in the Miami final in April.

Did You Know?
Sunday’s final is the first Grand Slam championship match featuring two players who are competing for their maiden major title and the World No. 1 Pepperstone ATP Ranking.

On Friday evening, Martin Landaluce was preparing for the biggest match of his life, the US Open Boys’ Singles final. But another match on television kept the Spaniard from going to sleep: Carlos Alcaraz’s enthralling five-set quarter-final against Frances Tiafoe.

“I tried to sleep, but he was [on] the TV, so I couldn’t sleep in that moment. I just slept in the fifth,” Landaluce said of Alcaraz with a smile on his face. “But I was watching it. It was a great match. Yeah, both were playing good. I took some things from Alcaraz and from Tiafoe also.”

Like his countryman Alcaraz did Friday, Landaluce earned a big win on Saturday. The 16-year-old, seeded fifth, defeated second seed Gilles Arnaud Bailly of Belgium 7-6(3), 5-7, 6-2 for the Boys’ Singles title.

“It was a great match. I’ve enjoyed it a lot. I tried to enjoy the final. It’s a special moment, special tournament,” Landaluce said. “I tried one game plan at the beginning that went more or less good. But then in the third set I tried to change it, to be more solid, more consistent. I think that’s what gave me the match, the win.”

There was a tough moment for the teen late in the second set. Bailly, 17, won a lengthy point in which he goaded Landaluce into an error to force a deciding set. Instead of suffering a letdown, Landaluce immediately bounced back to break at the start of the third set and never looked back.

“It was the final of the US Open. How could I be down or something?” Landaluce said. “I was just trying to enjoy the moment, try to understand the situation, to change some little things to win the match.”

Did You Know?
Landaluce practised with Alcaraz during his run to the Mutua Madrid Open title earlier this year.

 

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