US Open Final Archives

Alcaraz wins US Open and becomes youngest world number one

NEW YORK: Spanish teenager Carlos Alcaraz claimed his maiden Grand Slam title at the US Open on Sunday and became the youngest man to ascend to the world number one ranking.

The 19-year-old dragged his weary body to a 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 (7/1), 6-3 victory over Norway’s Casper Ruud in the final.

Alcaraz, the first teenager to claim the top ranking, is the youngest Grand Slam men’s champion since Rafael Nadal at the 2005 French Open after a performance which yielded 55 winners and 14 aces.

On a day of landmarks, he is also the youngest champion in New York since Pete Sampras in 1990.

It was a gruelling tournament for Alcaraz who claimed the record for most time spent on court at a single Grand Slam event, passing the 23 hours and 21 minutes it took Kevin Anderson to finish runner-up at Wimbledon in 2018.

Defeat for Ruud, who was also vying for the world number one ranking, was his second in a Slam final this year after he was routed by Nadal in the French Open.

With the roof closed, the Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd observed a moving moment’s silence on the 21st anniversary of the September 11 attacks before the final got off to a tentative start.

Both men saved break points in their opening service games before Alcaraz gained the only break of the first set for a key 3-1 lead.

Ruud dropped the set but triumphed in terms of sportsmanship when he called a double bounce on himself in the eighth game, conceding the point to the Spaniard.

Alcaraz served it out to love and a one set lead courtesy of his 13 winners to six for the Norwegian.

The Spanish teenager, who went into the final with a 2-0 winning record over Ruud, squandered a break point at 2-2 in the second set.

Ruud made him pay, edging ahead for 4-2 and then levelling the final on a second set point after another careless Alcaraz drop-shot opened the court invitingly for the Norwegian.

At that moment, Alcaraz had been on court at the tournament for almost 22 hours, passing the mark set by Andy Murray when the Briton claimed the 2012 title.

He was ahead for 2-0 in the third set before Ruud hit back.

The 23-year-old Norwegian had two set points in an 11-minute 12th game but was unable to convert as Alcaraz put away inch-perfect, back-to-back volleys.

Alcaraz made the most of his reprieve, racing through to his first tiebreak success of the tournament as Ruud’s game fell suddenly apart.

The Spaniard sensed his chance, breaking for 4-2 in the fourth set before taking his aces count to 12 to lead 5-2.

Ruud held to love but Alcaraz claimed his slice of history on a second match point before collapsing to the court in celebration.

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Swiatek defeats Jabeur to clinch US Open crown

NEW YORK: Iga Swiatek surged to the third Grand Slam title of her career with a maiden victory at the US Open on Saturday, defeating Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur in straight sets to extend her remarkable finals winning streak.

The 21-year-old world number one from Poland saw off a second set fightback from history-chasing Jabeur to prevail 6-2, 7-6 (7/5) in 1hr 52min at Arthur Ashe Stadium.

The win was Swiatek’s second Grand Slam title of 2022 to set alongside her French Open victory in June, which followed her maiden Grand Slam win at Roland Garros in 2020.

Swiatek’s victory was her 10th straight win in a final. She is unbeaten in finals since suffering a lone reverse in her first WTA final in Lugano three years ago.

Swiatek collapsed on court in relief after a win that saw her pocket a hefty $2.6 million in prize money.

“I’m really glad it’s not in cash,” she quipped as she was presented with her winner’s cheque for a tournament she entered with low expectations when the season began.

“I wasn’t sure if I was on the level yet to win actually a Grand Slam, especially at the US Open where the surface is so fast,” she said.

“It’s something that I wasn’t expecting for sure. It’s also like a confirmation for me that the sky is the limit.

“I’m proud, also surprised a little bit, just happy that I was able to do that.”

But the loss was another agonising near-miss for Jabeur, who had been bidding to become the first woman from Africa to win a Grand Slam title.

The 28-year-old from Tunis had also been beaten in the final of Wimbledon in July.

“I have nothing to regret because I did everything possible,” said Jabeur.

“I’m not someone that’s going to give up. I am sure I’m going to be in the final again and I will try my best to win it.”

Jabeur impressed en route to the final, dropping only a single set and stitching together a string of assured performances.

But she was in trouble almost from the get-go against the clinical Swiatek, who was into her stride quickly with her serve and signature forehand functioning smoothly.

Jabeur by contrast looked jittery and was broken to love in her first service game.

Swiatek held easily to go 3-0 up with only eight minutes gone in the first set.

Jabeur did threaten a revival when she held and then broke to close the gap to 3-2.

But the fifth seed was let down again by her shaky service game, a problem throughout Saturday’s final, and Swiatek broke back for a 4-2 lead.

Jabeur was broken again as she served to stay in the set and Swiatek took the first set.

Swiatek threatened to run away with the second set after breaking Jabeur and holding to go 3-0 up.

Yet Jabeur showed great determination to break Swiatek to cut the deficit to 3-2.

Once again however Jabeur was unable to make the service break count and Swiatek broke again for a 4-2 lead.

This time, though, Jabeur dug deep to claw her way back into the contest, assisted by a slice of luck when a Swiatek return clipped a net cord to clinch a service break.

Jabeur held to level the score at 4-4 and suddenly the momentum had shifted.

The next three games went with serve and Jabeur was left serving to stay in the match. She fought off a match point at 5-6 and 30-40 down before holding for 6-6.

Jabeur recovered from 4-2 down to lead 5-4 in the tie break, but it was Swiatek who showed greater composure, converting her second match point when Jabeur smacked a return long.

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Alcaraz to face Ruud for US Open title after epic semi-final triumph

NEW YORK: Carlos Alcaraz defeated Frances Tiafoe in a gladiatorial US Open semi-final on Friday, setting up a showdown for the title and world number one ranking against Casper Ruud.

The 19-year-old Spaniard triumphed 6-7 (6/8), 6-3, 6-1, 6-7 (5/7), 6-3 to become the youngest men’s Grand Slam finalist since compatriot Rafael Nadal captured the first of his 22 Slams at the 2005 French Open.

Norway’s seventh-ranked Ruud earlier defeated Russia’s Karen Khachanov 7-6 (7/5), 6-2, 5-7, 6-2 to also reach his first Grand Slam final.

Tiafoe went down fighting, however, saving three match points and retrieving breaks in both of the last two sets.

“We are in the semi-final of a Grand Slam, we have to give everything we have inside, we have to fight until the last ball,” said Alcaraz, the youngest US Open finalist since Pete Sampras in 1990.

“It doesn’t matter if you’re fighting for five hours or six hours. It doesn’t matter, you have to give everything on the court.”

For Alcaraz, who unleashed 59 winners, it was his third successive five-setter as he closes in on a maiden Slam and becoming the youngest ever world number one.

“It’s my first time in a final of a Grand Slam. I can see the number one in the world, but at the same time it’s so far away,” he added.

“I’m going to give everything that I have. I will have to handle the nerves of being in the final of a Grand Slam but obviously I’m really happy.”

“I gave everything I had, too good from Carlos tonight,” said Tiafoe.

“Honestly I came here wanting to win the US Open, I feel like I let you guys down. This one really hurts.”

Alcaraz saw two break points come and go in the seventh game of the opener before needing to save a set point in the 12th which featured a breathtaking rally that the Spaniard claimed from two seemingly losing positions.

The teenager saved three more set points in the tiebreak but Tiafoe converted his fifth when Alcaraz served up his third double fault of the 64-minute opener.

Alcaraz saved a break point in the third game of the second set, at one stage stretching for a winning point with his back facing Tiafoe to win another memorable rally.

His flamboyance was rewarded when he broke for 4-2 on his way to levelling the semi-final thanks to Tiafoe burying a return in the net.

Alcaraz had needed nine hours and 10 sets in his last two rounds, including a quarter-final which finished at 2:50 a.m. Thursday, to reach the semi-final.

However, he looked the fresher of the two men when he raced to a double break, 4-0 lead in the third set, allowing Tiafoe just three points.

For good measure, Alcaraz broke the American a third time in the seventh game.

World number 26 Tiafoe, who knocked Nadal out of the tournament in the last-16, was hoping to become the first American man in a major final since Andy Roddick at Wimbledon in 2009.

He gamely retrieved two breaks in the fourth set, saved a match point in the 10th game with a nerveless drop shot before claiming the tiebreak to send the clash into a decider.

It was an eighth successful tiebreak out of eight for the American.

Alcaraz broke for 2-0 in the fifth set only for Tiafoe to again claw his way back to 2-2.

The American, however, double-faulted to hand the advantage back in the fifth game.

Tiafoe saved two more match points in the ninth game before Alcaraz went on to seal victory in four hours and 19 minutes when his opponent netted a weary backhand.

Ruud will be appearing in his second Grand Slam final of the season after finishing runner-up to Nadal at the French Open in June.

“After Roland Garros, I was extremely happy but at the same time humble enough to think that could be my only final in a Grand Slam in my career,” said Ruud.

“They don’t come easy. So here I am a couple of months later – it feels beyond words to describe.”

The 23-year-old Norwegian set the tone for his dominance early in the semi-final when he came out on top in a 55-shot rally to convert a third set point in the opening tiebreak which his Russian rival described as “crazy”.

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Swiatek downs Sabalenka to face Jabeur in US Open final

Two-time French Open champion Swiatek came from behind to defeat sixth-seed Sabalenka 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 at Arthur Ashe Stadium and reach her maiden US Open final.

Sabalenka had been chasing the first Grand Slam final of her career after just missing out with semi-final defeats at Wimbledon and the US Open last year.

But the 24-year-old from Belarus suffered a late collapse while leading in the third set as Swiatek edged victory.

Polish star Swiatek said an emergency bathroom break after losing the first set had been crucial.

“I kind of needed to go,” Swiatek said. “For sure I felt lighter. I’m sorry — that’s disgusting,” the 21-year-old added.

“I tried to use that time to think about what to change because I remember when I was younger all I would do in the bathroom between sets after I lost was cry.

“But this time I could think about what to change and actually problem solve.”

Sabalenka looked well placed to break her final duck as she swept into an early lead against the top seed.

The hard-hitting Sabalenka broke Swiatek three times in the opening set, rattling her opponent’s shaky service game and stretching her with an array of powerful groundstrokes.

But Swiatek looked rejuvenated after her bathroom break following the first set and came out for the second all guns blazing.

She broke Sabalenka to love in the opening game and then held twice for a 3-1 lead.

She sealed a further break with a backhand cross-court return of serve to open up a 4-1 advantage as Sabalenka struggled to cope with the change in tempo.

She was broken again in the seventh game, Swiatek levelling the match after Sabalenka fluffed an easy volley at the net on set point.

Nevertheless Sabalenka appeared to have stopped the bleeding in the third set.

She broke Swiatek in the opening game and then broke again for a 3-2 lead after Swiatek had broken back.

She held serve for a 4-2 lead and the momentum seemed to be with her.

But Sabalenka’s game disintegrated from that point on. Swiatek broke her to love to make it 4-4 and then held for a 5-4 lead.

Sabalenka was overrun in the 10th game as Swiatek raced into a 0-40 lead to move to triple matchpoint.

Sabalenka held off the first with a forehand volley at the net, but her 44th unforced error on the next point sealed her fate.

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