The number:
1
That of the first Grand Slam title for Carlos Alcaraz (19 years and 4 months), winner 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 (7/1), 6-3 in 3h20.
The Spaniard won his 6th ATP title in New York, after Umag (in 2021), Rio de Janeiro, Miami, Barcelona, Madrid and New York (in 2022).
A title that brought him 2.5 million euros and made him the youngest winner of the US Open since Pete Sampras (19 years 28 days in 1990) and the youngest Grand Slam winner since… Rafael Nadal ( 19 years and 2 days) at Roland-Garros in 2005. This title propels Carlos Alcaraz (3rd Spaniard winner of the US Open after Manuel Orantes in 1965, and Rafael Nadal in 2010, 2013, 2017 and 2019) in place of n °1 worldwide.
Carlos Alcaraz is the youngest player in the place of world No. 1 since the development of the ranking (in August 1973).
L'
Spaniard erases the Australian Lleyton Hewitt (20 years and 9 months in 2001).
He did better than Marat Safin (20 years and 10 months in 2000) or John McEnroe (21 years and 1 month in 1980), when they reached the top of the world rankings.
He is the 4th Spaniard to reach the world No. 1 spot after Carlos Moya (in 1999), Juan Carlos Ferrero (his coach, in 2003) and Rafael Nadal (in 2008).
Like Carlos Moya (March 1999), Andre Agassi (July 1999) and Pete Sampras (2000), he climbed the rankings to go directly from 4th (he was seeded No. 3 in New York) to 1st place in the world .
listed as the 4th Spaniard to reach the world No. 1 spot after Carlos Moya (in 1999), Juan Carlos Ferrero (his coach, in 2003) and Rafael Nadal (in 2008).
Like Carlos Moya (March 1999), Andre Agassi (July 1999) and Pete Sampras (2000), he climbed the rankings to go directly from 4th (he was seeded No. 3 in New York) to 1st place in the world .
listed as the 4th Spaniard to reach the world No. 1 spot after Carlos Moya (in 1999), Juan Carlos Ferrero (his coach, in 2003) and Rafael Nadal (in 2008).
Like Carlos Moya (March 1999), Andre Agassi (July 1999) and Pete Sampras (2000), he climbed the rankings to go directly from 4th (he was seeded No. 3 in New York) to 1st place in the world .
To discover
US Open: men's schedule
US Open: ladies' schedule
The turning point of the game:
The two set points that Casper Ruud failed to convert in the 3rd set (at 6-5).
They would have allowed the Norwegian to take off, to lead 2 sets to 1. At that time, Casper Ruud had gained the upper hand over his rival who had no more flames in his strikes and was only standing by the strength of his iron determination.
At that time, Carlos Alcaraz, after a great start and a real slack, had the strength to hang on and the madness to believe in it.
And he bit by bit, point after point, game after game, gradually regained the momentum and the strength to overthrow Casper Ruud, who for a set and a half looked like a solid wall, the regularity of a metronome.
After erasing a match point (like Novak Djokovic at the US Open 2011 and Wimbledon 2019 and Stan Wawrinka at the
“It was an exciting match to play.
Lots of fun rallies, nice points.
It's sad that it didn't work out for me, but Carlos rose to the occasion when needed, especially in the third set.
He was too good on those set points.
It was the set that may have decided the match.
All credit goes to him.
It was very tight, we were one set away and I played a horrible tie-break.
I couldn't get those set points out of my head
,” Casper Ruud summed up.
Point :
At 4-4, 30A in the 3rd set, the game is just waiting to change.
Fatigue and emotion have fun changing sides, playing with the nerves of the protagonists.
This does not prevent them from struggling without counting and multiplying the spectacular points.
On one of them, Casper Ruud who, at this time, has the ascendant manhandles Carlos Alcaraz who, physically marked, does not want to let go and fights with heart.
The Spaniard finishes with his nose on the Arthur Ashe court.
With a smile, as often after the spectacular exchanges.
Win or lose.
The Spaniard beaten on this blow will gradually manage to return to the match and end up defeating the Norwegian metronome, varying his game (14 aces; 34 points out of 45 scored on the fly) to find solutions, disturb Ruud, not leave it
The image :
Ruud's fair play.
The Norwegian could also write history.
He understood, as soon as the players entered, that he would have to play against an audience that had chosen his rival as the favourite.
He didn't show anything.
Dominated at the start of the match, he hung on.
And did not hesitate to return a point to his opponent after the ball doubled under the eyes of the referee.
Right in the storm.
Just in the turmoil, Casper Ruud unhappy for his second defeat in the Grand Slam final emerged from the test.
His game will torment others.
Tweets:
Nadal and Real Madrid congratulate Alcaraz
Rafael Nadal was one of the first to congratulate Carlos Alcaraz after his US Open title.
The legendary player, winner of 22 Grand Slam titles, wrote to his young compatriot on Twitter: “
Congratulations on your first Grand Slam and your number 1 place which is the culmination of your first great season which, I am sure, will appeal to many more.
“Not to mention the Norwegian Casper Ruud, the unfortunate finalist, beaten 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 (7/1), 6-3: “
Good effort.
Very proud of you!
No luck today but an extraordinary tournament and season!
Carry on!
Real Madrid were also quick to congratulate the young winner:
Congratulations on your historic victory at the US Open.
It is a source of pride that a great madridista like you wins his first Grand Slam and is the youngest tennis player in history to reach the top spot in the rankings.
“
Incredible!
Congratulations”
, slipped Coco Gauff on Twitter.
The stat:
11:39 p.m.
The time spent on the courts by Carlos Alcaraz during the tournament.
An endurance that exceeds Kevin Anderson at Wimbledon in 2018 (11:20 p.m.) for the most hours played in a single Grand Slam tournament since 1999.
The diviner:
A week before the start of the US Open, asked to comment on the identity of the favorite of a US Open expected to be very open, Nick Kyrgios had decided and dropped: "Carlos Alcaraz".
The sentence:
""
When he arrived at the Academy, he was 15 years old, he was thin as a spaghetti
"
Signed Juan Carlos Ferrero, Carlos Alcaraz's trainer: “
When he arrived at the Academy, he was 15, he was thin as a spaghetti.
We had noticed that he had very fast arms, very fast legs, but he had no muscles, neither in his back nor in his legs.
But obviously we had noticed something special in him
.
Info:
The US Open has raised $2 million in aid for Ukraine through the combined fundraising efforts across the three weeks of the 2022 event.