At 19, Carlos Alcaraz wins US Open and becomes world number one

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Carlos Alcaraz is the 2022 US Open champion. At 19, the Spaniard from Rafael Nadal’s tennis school won the first Grand Slam of his career and became the youngest occupant of the ATP rankings, a record held by the Australian Lleyton Hewitt, leader at 20 years and nine months.

The victory over the Norwegian Casper Ruud this Sunday (11) by 3 sets to 1 (6/4, 2/6, 7/6 and 6/3) take the young tennis player to the top of the ATP rankings and consolidate the new generation of tennis players at the top of the season.

He is now ahead of Russian Daniil Medvedev; German Alexander Zverev, out of the circuit after injury at Roland Garros; from the Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas; of Casper Ruud, whose runner-up guarantees the second position; and Rafael Nadal himself.

Alcaraz was the favorite of the final and confirmed, although with resistance from Ruud, the bet. The Norwegian came with more consistent serve than the young Spaniard. The characteristic for which Carlitos is known, however, was present in the match. He arrived in impossible balls.

For the first time, the two players competed, at the same time, for the first Grand Slam title and for the leadership in the ranking.

Ruud, 23, reached the final at Roland Garros in June, but lost to Rafael Nadal, the Parisian champion with 14 titles. If he won any of the finals, he would be the first Norwegian to win a Grand Slam.

Alcaraz’s US Open campaign began smoothly: in the first three games, he didn’t lose a single set. As of the fourth round, however, the tide turned. He needed five sets to defeat Croatian Marin Cilic, Italian Jannik Sinner and American Frances Tiafoe.

The match with Sinner, another strong name of the new generation, was the highlight of the championship, lasting 5 hours and 15 minutes. The game was the longest running in US Open history.

Alcaraz made a meteoric trajectory in 2022. He started the season in 120th place in the rankings and reached sixth. In the process, he won, on clay, the likes of Alexander Zverev, Novak Djokovic and the “king” of the floor, Rafael Nadal.

Despite being compared with his compatriot who has won 22 Grand Slams, Alcaraz makes it clear that he prefers fast surfaces. And that he mirrors himself, in fact, in the Swiss Roger Federer, owner of historic matches against Nadal.

“[Comparações] don’t bother me because like him [Toni Nadal, tio e ex-técnico de Rafael Nadal] says, are inevitable. But I also don’t think they bring me good things. I try not to pay too much attention to them and move on.”

The achievement of the top of the rankings and the first Grand Slam show that the young Spaniard is moving forward — and cementing his own name.

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