Carlos Alcaraz wins 2022 US Open over Ruud becoming world number one in the process

Carlos Alcaraz made history at the 2022 US Open beating Casper Ruud 6-4 2-6 7-6(1) 6-3 to become a grand slam champion and the world number one.

It was not a match that featured one of the big three, or the big four, or a previous grand slam winner but it did certainly deliver tennis worthy of a grand slam final. Whether this ends up being the start of a new era or not remains to be seen but it certainly was the crowning moment of Carlos Alcaraz.

What a year he has had. Multiple trophies, a couple of lost finals and a grand slam trophy now. Not only that, he'll see his name at the top of the rankings as well which was another dream of his growing up. His goal at the start of the year was to enter the top 15 so let that sink in for a moment. The first four games of this match featured break points but Alcaraz was the only player to actually convert one.

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He was up 3-1 after that point and cruised to a 6-4 opening set finish. Alcaraz was pretty solid in the first outhitting Ruud winners-wise and it helped to get it done. The 2nd set was the opposite as Ruud upped his level considerably while Alcaraz hit a wall. Ruud had more winners this time around and he took it 6-2. The third set was a hugely important one as Alcaraz jumped out to a 2-0 lead but Ruud battled back to 2-2.

Both players showed a very high level in this one and Alcaraz only barely forced a tiebreak after saving a couple of set points at 5-6. Ruud ran out of steam in the tiebreak completely falling apart and losing it 1-7. The final set featured a very bouncy Alcaraz and a reserved Ruud who would lose his serve midway through the set 2-4. He would finish it off 6-3.

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Feels like the first of many for Carlos Alcaraz.

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