And then there were two.
The 2022 US Open will reach its climax when Casper Ruud and Carlos Alcaraz square off for not just their maiden Grand Slam title, but also the world No.1 ranking, in Monday morning’s (AEST) men’s singles final.
In one corner you have one of the most improved players on tour this year, Casper Ruud, who earlier this year reached his first Major final at the French Open, only to be on the receiving end of a clay court masterclass from legendary Spaniard Rafael Nadal.
Though he fell early at Wimbledon immediately after, the Norweigan has rediscovered the form that took him to the final at Roland Garros here in New York, recording three victories over seeded opponents to achieve a personal best result in the Big Apple.
This included defeating American 29th seed Tommy Paul in a five-set epic, in which the first three sets were decided in tiebreaks, as well as the fourth set lasting twelve games, before Ruud wiped the floor in the last, winning it to love.
He also took care of last year’s Wimbledon finalist, Matteo Berrettini, with a straight-sets win in the quarters before he needed four sets to outlast 27th seed Karen Khachanov to advance to his second Major final this year.
In the final he will face the phenom that is 19-year-old Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz, who has set the tennis world on fire with his spectacular results this year, with many likening him to a young Rafael Nadal who was producing similarly impressive results at that stage in his career.
After winning his first three matches in straight sets, including a retirement by Sebastian Baez in the opening round, the El Palmar native was tested like never before as he was stretched to his absolute limits in the following three rounds.
Firstly, he went blow for blow against Marin Cilic in the fourth round in a match that lasted nearly four hours, despite none of the sets going to tiebreaks.
Then, he appeared down and out when he fell behind two sets to one, after failing to win a single point in the third set tiebreak.
(Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
Somehow, he was able to dig his way out of trouble, saving a match point late in the fourth set before winning it 6-3 in the last, that match ending after five hours and fifteen minutes and setting a record for the latest-ever finish to a match at the US Open (2:50am).
The Spaniard’s semi-final match against 22nd seed Frances Tiafoe, the last remaining American in either singles draw, was not expected to be straight forward and that proved to be the case as he was again forced to endure five sets.
After dropping the first set on a double fault in the tiebreak, the 19-year-old hit back losing just four games in the next two sets, then held a match point in the fourth only to lose that set in another tiebreaker as the thousands of local fans got behind Tiafoe.
A break early in the final set would prove to be enough as Alcaraz won through to his first Major final, where he will be up against a man who is equally as determined to claim his maiden Grand Slam title, and the world No.1 ranking which is also at stake.
He has now become the first Spanish man, other than Rafael Nadal, to reach a Major final since David Ferrer at the 2013 French Open, and is now aiming to become the first man from his country other than the King of Clay to salute at any Major since Juan Carlos Ferrero in 2003.
Coincidentally, Ferrero, who lost to Andy Roddick in the 2003 US Open final after winning at Roland Garros earlier that year (where he defeated surprise Dutch finalist, Martin Verkerk, in the final in straight sets), is now Alcaraz’s coach.
While the 19-year-old has been compared to his elder and more established compatriot Nadal, he has made it clear that he would like to forge his own identity, as Grigor Dimitrov has tried to do after he too was compared to Roger Federer early in his career.
There are many common things between Alcaraz and Nadal: both are sponsored by Nike, use the same-branded racquet (Babolat) and are strong clay courters.
Similarly, when Nadal burst onto the scene in 2005, there were comparisons made between him and Carlos Moya (now his coach), who won the French Open in 1998 and reached world number one the following year, but who wouldn’t reach the level of success that Nadal would.
Though Nadal and Alcaraz did not cross paths in New York, as they would’ve done in the semi-finals if not for the former’s fourth-round loss to Frances Tiafoe, a win by the El Palmar native would mark a changing of the guard in Spanish men’s tennis.
As for Casper Ruud, a win would prove history-making as he would become the first man or woman from Norway to win a Major title, and having learnt plenty of lessons from his loss to Nadal at Roland Garros, he would be better equipped for a second tilt at glory in New York.
Now that you’ve got the background info, it’s time to crunch the all-important statistics below.
[5] Casper Ruud (NOR) vs [3] Carlos Alcaraz (ESP)
Sunday, September 11, 4:00pm (Monday, September 12, 6:00am AEST)
Arthur Ashe Stadium
Head to head
All matches: Alcaraz 2-0
In finals: Alcaraz 1-0
At the Majors: First meeting
Last meeting: Alcaraz won 7-5, 6-4, final, 2022 Miami Masters.
Ruud’s road to the final
R1: def. Kyle Edmund (GBR) 6-3, 7-5, 6-2
R2: def. Tim van Rijthoven (NED) 6-7 (4-7), 6-4, 6-4, 6-4
R3: def. [29] Tommy Paul (USA) 7-6 (7-3), 6-7 (5-7), 7-6 (7-2), 5-7, 6-0
R4: def. Corentin Moutet (FRA) 6-1, 6-2, 6-7 (4-7), 6-2
QF: def. [13] Matteo Berrettini (ITA) 6-1, 6-4, 7-6 (7-4)
SF: def. [27] Karen Khachanov 7-6 (7-5), 6-2, 5-7, 6-2
Alcaraz’s road to the final
R1: def. Sebastian Baez (ARG) 7-5, 7-5, 2-0 ret.
R2: def. Federico Coria (ARG) 6-2, 6-1, 7-5
R3: def. Jenson Brooksby (USA) 6-3, 6-3, 6-3
R4: def. [13] Marin Cilic (CRO) 6-4, 3-6, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3
QF: def. [11] Jannik Sinner (ITA) 6-3, 6-7 (7-9), 6-7 (0-7), 7-5, 6-3
SF: def. [22] Frances Tiafoe (USA) 6-7 (6-8), 6-3, 6-1, 6-7 (5-7), 6-3
The stats that matter
* This is Casper Ruud’s second Major final, after previously reaching the French Open earlier this year, while for Carlos Alcaraz this is his first Major final. For both men this is their first US Open final.
* This will be the third consecutive US Open final in which a new champion will be crowned, and the second in three years in which both men will be vying for their maiden Major title (after Dominic Thiem defeated Alexander Zverev in 2020).
* This will be the 14th straight US Open title to go undefended, no man having gone back-to-back at Flushing Meadows since Roger Federer’s five-in-a-row between 2004-08.
* Ruud is aiming to become the first man from his country to win a Major title.
* Alcaraz is aiming to become the first Spanish man, other than Rafael Nadal, to win a Major title since Juan Carlos Ferrero at the 2003 French Open, and at the US Open since Manuel Orantes in 1975.
* Alcaraz is the first Spaniard, other than Rafael Nadal, to reach a Major final since David Ferrer at the 2013 French Open. Coincidentally, Ferrer ended up facing Nadal, losing in straight sets.
* Alcaraz is the youngest man to reach a Major final since Nadal at the 2005 French Open, and at the US Open since Pete Sampras in 1990. In a good omen for the Spaniard, both Sampras and Nadal went on to win their first Major titles at those respective tournaments.
* Alcaraz is the first man born this century to reach a Major final. As such, he is aiming to become the first man born this century to win a Major title.
* If Alcaraz wins, he’ll surpass Lleyton Hewitt (20 years, nine months) as the youngest men’s world number one (he is currently 19 years and four months) by seventeen months.
* Whichever player wins will become just the sixth different man to climb to world number one since February 2, 2004, after Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and Daniil Medvedev.
* Regardless of whichever player ascends to the top, he will become the seventh consecutive European man to do so. The last non-European to reign as world number one was Andy Roddick (last held top spot in the week starting January 26, 2004).
Prediction
Carlos Alcaraz in five sets.
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