Spanish teenager, Carlos Alcaraz claimed his first Grand Slam title and took the world number one ranking with a stunning win over Norway’s Casper Ruud in the US Open final.
A year ago, being a Grand Slam winner was only a dream to Alcaraz. In an interview at Flushing Meadows, he was asked what he would like to do in tennis. The then World No. 55 said he wanted both these accolades under his name. Now the mission has been accomplished.
The Spanish teenager and his opponent Casper Ruud went into the match with both bidding for a first Grand Slam title and to top the rankings, but it was the 19-year-old who came out on top.
Alcaraz, who burst into the spotlight by reaching the quarter-finals at Flushing Meadows a year ago, showed he was ready to win the biggest titles by lifting Masters trophies in Miami and Madrid, where he beat Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic back to back, and has proved himself to be a complete player despite his tender years.
The Spaniard becomes the youngest Grand Slam champion since Nadal won his first French Open title 17 years ago, and the youngest at the US Open since Pete Sampras in 1990, while this was the second youngest men’s final of the open era.
Sunday’s final was the first featuring two players competing for both their first Grand Slam title and the world number one ranking.
This year the US Open broke the event’s attendance record and marked the first time that every session at the 23 859-capacity Arthur Ashe Stadium sold out, tournament organisers said.
The two weeks main draw attendance was 776 120, surpassing the previous record of 737 872 set in 2019.
The moment Carlos Alcaraz made history by beating Casper Ruud to become the youngest men’s Grand Slam winner and the first World Number 1 in ATP history
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