For a first in Grand Slam
Carlos Alcaraz, 19, and Casper Ruud, 23, are playing their first Grand Slam final tonight (from 10 p.m.).
The solid Ruud, scorer in four sets of Karen a Kachanov (7-6, 6-2, 5-7, 6-2), is a metronome who will have to defend well against the puncher Alcaraz.
“
If he comes forward, he can do anything with the ball.
He can trigger a winning move.
He also has excellent touch on the ball
.
The Spaniard has the psychological advantage over his opponent because he beat him in their first two meetings, the last time in early April in the final on Miami cement (7-5, 6-4).
In steamroller.
To discover
US Open: men's calendar
US Open: ladies' schedule
For the first place in the world
This is not the first time that the quest for a first Grand Slam title has been combined with that of accession to the ATP throne, but what is new is that this scenario concerns the two finalists.
Alcaraz can thus become at 19 years and 4 months the youngest number one in history.
The Iberian is used to breaking precocity records.
In March in Miami, he was the youngest winner in the history of a Masters 1000. He is already the second youngest finalist in the tournament behind Pete Sampras, crowned in 1990 at 19 years and 1 month.
He is also the youngest player to reach a Grand Slam final since Rafael Nadal at Roland-Garros in 2005 (19 years and 2 days).
Ruud, him, if he becomes world number one,
will have made a spectacular leap from 7th to first place in Monday's rankings and will have the particularity of ascending the world throne without having ever won either the Masters 1000 or the ATP 500!
Which would be unprecedented for a world number one.
Read alsoUS Open: Carlos Alcaraz joins Casper Ruud in the final, world number 1 place at stake
For more show
A final for the place of world number one.
Just that !
“
Of course there will be nervousness and we will both feel it
,” predicts Casper Ruud.
“
If he has already played a final at Roland-Garros
(Ruud),
it will be my first.
I will leave everything on the court but I will have to control my nerves
, ”breathes Alcaraz.
During the quarters and semi-finals, the spectators of the central Arthur Ashe feasted in the face of the Alcaraz-Sinner and Alcaraz-Tiafoe marathon duels in particular.
The show could well still be there.
Provided, of course, that the (huge) stakes don't kill the game.
Read alsoUS Open: men's tennis has a bright future
For the “unknown” Ruud
After finishing the year 2021 in 8th place in the world and winning five tournaments, the Norwegian also began to shine in major events, he who had never passed the round of 16 in a Major before the 2022 season. A clay-court specialist, on which he has won eight of his nine titles, including three in 2022 in Buenos Aires, Geneva and Gstaad, Ruud was a finalist at Roland-Garros, swept away in the final by the ogre Rafael Nadal ( 6-3, 6-3, 6-0).
Despite this dry defeat, Ruud made a name for himself.
“
It gave me confidence in my ability to go far in Grand Slams.
I especially believe that, compared to last year, I manage the matches in three winning sets much better
.”
And in New York, he shows that he also knows how to be formidable on hard.
Berrettini and Khachanov, his victims of the 8th and quarters can testify to this.
For the tireless fighter Alcaraz
Two days after spending 5h15 on the Arthur-Ashe to defeat the Italian Jannik Sinner after an anthology duel, the Spaniard took 4h19 to overcome the American Frances Tiafoe.
The native of Murcia also needed five sets to dominate Croatian Marin Cilic in the 8th.
In total, Juan Carlos Ferrero's protege has spent 15 sets and 1:28 p.m. on the courts in his last three matches, against 8:56 for Ruud.
But these overtime hours don't seem to scare away the prodigy: “
I've prepared myself mentally and physically to fight for big things like that
”.
Ruud is warned.