Carlos Alcaraz downed Casper Ruud to win his maiden grand slam at the US Open becoming the youngest player to become the world no.1 in the process.
The Spaniard beat the Norwegian 6-4 2-6 7-6(1) 6-3 in a battle of the future stars. He breaks Lleyton Hewitt’s record of becoming the youngest player to achieve the world no.1 ranking since it was introduced in 1973.
For Casper Ruud, the defeat marks a second grand slam final loss after he was beaten by Rafael Nadal in the French Open final.
When the final began under the closed roof of Arthur Ashe Stadium, Ruud simply failed to match the power of the Spaniard. Alcaraz broke early to take the first set before his faltering serve allowed Ruud a way back in the match at one set apiece.
The pair traded breaks in the third set with Alcaraz having to save two setpoints in order to force a tiebreak which he dominated to move closer to victory. A tiring Ruud had no answers in the fourth set as Carlos Alcaraz sealed his US Open win with an unreturnable serve.
Despite the defeat, Casper Ruud will rise to number two in the world when the rankings are updated. He falls to 3-0 against Alcaraz in head-to-head meetings.
Rafael Nadal, Alcaraz’s idol, also congratulated the teenager on his feat.
With the era of Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer coming to a close sooner rather than later, tennis seems to have found another superstar in Alcaraz who can rule the standings for years to come.
