No. 3 seed Carlos Alcaraz became the youngest player to top the world rankings after defeating fifth-seeded Norwegian Casper Ruud 6-4, 2-6, 7-6(1), 6-3 to grab his first Grand Slam title at the US Open on Sunday.
After a heated battle that lasted three hours and 20 minutes, the 19-year-old Spaniard became the youngest Grand Slam men’s champion since Rafael Nadal won the 2005 French Open at 19 years and two days, and the youngest male titleholder in New York since Pete Sampras in 1990.
Alcaraz started the first set aggressively. Over 49 minutes, his winners more than doubled those of Ruud (13 to 6), though he made five more unforced errors than the Norwegian. Ruud then won back a set, as the Spaniard lost a break point at 2-2 in the second set.
In the decisive tiebreak in the third set, the careless Norwegian made four unforced errors to drop seven straight points after opening with an ace. Meanwhile, Alcaraz, with his confidence steadily rising, nailed down the last set 6-3.
“This is something have I dreamed of since I was a kid,” said the Spaniard. “It’s something I worked really, really hard (for). It’s tough to talk right now. A lot of emotions.”
Earlier on Sunday, third-seeded Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova of the Czech Republic eased past local pair Caty McNally and Taylor Townsend 3-6, 7-5, 6-1 to bring home their maiden US Open doubles title and third major of the season.
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