Newsman: Carlos Alcaraz became the youngest tennis player ever to take the No. 1 position among the world’s top touring men at the U.S. Open on Sunday at Flushing Meadows,New York . It was Rafael Nadal who, in 2005, was the last men’s teenager to win a grand slam title when he triumphed at the French Open.
Spain’s Alcaraz on Sunday beat Ruud, 23, of Norway, in the U.S. Open final 6-4, 2-6, 7-6, 6-3, a well-matched battle that would have meant either player, ranked third and fifth respectively, took the No. 1 spot.
At 19, the Spaniard is also the only men’s teenager to top the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, with women giving the world much younger tour leaders for decades.
After Alcaraz won a third-set tiebreaker to go up two sets to one, he owned the fourth set, pulling away to 5-3 to serve for the championship. A service ace gave him the win.
The final doubled as a changing of the guard for a men’s sport dominated by Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, both nearing retirement age.
“This is something that I dreamed of since I was a kid,” Alcaraz said. “To be No. 1 in the world. To be champion.”
Before Nadal was ousted in the fourth round by American Frances Tiafoe, the top spot was the elder Spaniard’s for the taking.
Alcaraz beat Tiafoe in a marathon semifinal match, earning his shot at No. 1.
“Today was a special day, evening, for both Carlos and I,” Ruud said after the match. “It’s fun that both finalists will be No. 2 and No. 1 in the world. No. 2 is not too bad.”
Organizers said Sunday that had the tournament set an attendance record of 888,044, many of them repeat visitors, during the three-week event in the New York City borough of Queens.
President Michael J. McNulty III of the U.S. Tennis Association said, “This will be remembered as our most spectacular U.S. Open.”
“We’ve ushered in the next generation of champions,” he said.
