Carlos Alcaraz beats Casper Ruud: US Open tennis 2022 men’s final – live!

Postmatch festivities taking a while. US Open chair Mike McNulty says we should pause to note … and he doesn’t say the 21st anniversary of Sept. 11. He notes what he calls the unprovoked attack on Ukraine and boasts that the Open has raised $2m for Ukraine relief.

The climb through the stands …

Carlos Alcaraz’s first major championship, and it’s surely the first of many. He’s a master of endurance, as seen in his five-set epics, but he also has an unmatched arsenal of power and finesse.

We’ll see Ruud on this stage again, too. He has already been to the French Open final once, losing to the GOAT of clay, Rafael Nadal.

Alcaraz needs to climb around in the stands to reach his entourage’s box, but he makes it and enjoys a group hug before returning to the court alongside a security guard who hops back onto the surface with him.

Carlos Alcaraz wins the US Open

Fourth set: *Alcaraz 5-3 Ruud (* – denotes next server)

Ruud races out to 40-0 on an Alcaraz error, a good volley and a big serve. Alcaraz scrambles toward the net but hits into it, and Ruud holds at love.

Alcaraz will serve for the championship.

Fourth set: Alcaraz 5-2 Ruud* (* – denotes next server)

A bad miss at the net from Alcaraz makes it 0-30. A winner and an ace make it 30-30.

I don’t mean to minimize Ruud’s impact on this match, but in recent games, the story has been Alcaraz hitting winners or missing. The teenager is dictating the terms of the match.

And after another ace and a forehand that wrong-foots Ruud, he’s one game away from his first major championship.

Last chance to spot celebrities? Hey, Spike Lee made it! We also have a sighting of Matthew Perry, a distinguished junior tennis player back in the day.

Fourth set: *Alcaraz 4-2 Ruud (* – denotes next server)

Back and forth on each baseline, back and forth, back and forth … it’s hypnotic. Alcaraz hits the winner, though, to go up 0-15. After a point for Ruud, it’s another Alcaraz winner and fist pump. Then an Alcaraz error. 30-30.

Alcaraz races back and forth, with Ruud in solid control of the rally. But Alcaraz lobs, and Ruud’s smash attempt goes wide. Break point.

Long rally. Ruud was winning those early in the match Not any more. Break.

Fourth set: Alcaraz 3-2 Ruud* (* – denotes next server)

Alcaraz ups the ante with three aces, then double faults to spoil my “and Ruud folds” conclusion. Ruud finally gets to hit the ball at 40-15 but loses a brief rally.

Fourth set: *Alcaraz 2-2 Ruud (* – denotes next server)

Many fans have decided that this is the best time to hit the restrooms and swing by the concessions for their $10 hot dogs or $10 edamame. Ruud waits for a bit but presses forward.

The Norwegian’s serve seems to be getting stronger as this match wears on. Alcaraz wins a point to make it 15-all, but Ruud’s next three serves make quick work of the hold.

Time check: Now entering the fourth hour.

Fourth set: Alcaraz 2-1 Ruud* (* – denotes next server)

Alcaraz makes Ruud run back and forth like Herb Brooks punishing his team in the film Miracle. (That scene was apparently embellished slightly, but only slightly.)

Routine hold.

Fourth set: *Alcaraz 1-1 Ruud (* – denotes next server)

What a gorgeous volleyed drop shot from Ruud in the middle of a routine hold.

Fourth set: Alcaraz 1-0 Ruud* (* – denotes next server)

The third set was 73 minutes. We start this game at the 2:45 mark.

Ruud punishes a second serve and dominates a short rally to get to 0-30 and put an early scare into Alcaraz. Serve, net approach, winner, 15-30. Serve, volley, 30-30.

21-shot rally, ending with Ruud hitting wide. 40-30.

Another good rally. Hold.

Let’s see one of those points too outlandish for words:

Carlos Alcaraz wins the third set 7-6

Ruud serves. Fault. Alcaraz remains very far back on the second serve but hits a great return, and Ruud misses the next one. Minibreak. 3-1 Alcaraz

Ruud serves. Ruud tries to go big and misses. 4-1 Alcaraz.

Alcaraz serves. Three-shot rally. I’m still looking for a name for that. 5-1. Changeover.

Third-set tiebreaker

Ruud serves, quite well. 1-0.

Alcaraz serves, and Ruud eventually misses wide. 1-1.

Alcaraz serves deep into the corner, and Ruud hits into the net. 2-1 Alcaraz.

Third set: Alcaraz 6-6 Ruud (going to tiebreaker)

Ruud picks up a point for 15-15. Alcaraz takes the next, but he errs on the next for 30-30. Could Ruud pick up this set here?

A solid Ruud return, then a forehand winner that somehow catches a bit of the line. Break point. Set point.

Another good return, but Alcaraz pummels it, approaches the net, and volleys to win it. He takes the next point as well, but with each player deep in their forehand corners, Ruud manages to turn his body and hit a winner the other way. Deuce again.

They trade points. Deuce again.

Then a stunner of a cross-court forehand return winner from Ruud, hit from maybe five feet wide of the court. Set point.

Serve, approach, Ruud lob, smashed. Deuce.

Alcaraz dials up the power and approaches the net, inducing a wide shot from Ruud. Alcaraz again can’t close it out. Deuce.

(Was that Lin-Manuel Miranda I just saw a few seats from Lindsey Vonn?)

Alcaraz gets another game point.

Then how to describe this.

Ruud goes to the net. Backhand lob from Alcaraz. Between the legs from Ruud. Alcaraz smashes. And the shots before that were also unreal.

Tiebreaker time …

Regarding attendance:

Third set: *Alcaraz 5-6 Ruud (* denotes next server)

Another point in which the players end up closer to each other than table tennis players, and this time, Ruud winds the back-and-forth.

Ruud gets his first ace of the match at last. He puts Alcaraz out of position on game point, and he holds at love.

Someone tell them I hate live-blogging tiebreakers.

Jake Chessum writes to lament food prices at the Open – $7.50 for a Coke, $18 for a turkey sandwich, $10 for a hot dog, $24 for a poke bowl plus $10 for a side of edamame. “To afford to eat there … you’ve got to be making as much as several journalists.”

I knew I should’ve gone into comedy.

Third set: Alcaraz 5-5 Ruud* (* denotes next server)

Ruud’s first return catches Alcaraz leaning the wrong way. His next, though, goes straight to the Spaniard, who easily deposits the ball the other way. 15-all.

Next – Alcaraz hits to Ruud’s backhand. And again. And again. And again. Then the other way for the winner. 30-15.

Ruud returns wide. 40-15.

Ruud’s next return is blasted back across. Alcaraz gets it back in play, and Ruud goes for glory again, only to see it catch the net cord and deflect out. Hold.

Third set: *Alcaraz 4-5 Ruud (* denotes next server)

Gotta love points in which the players go back and forth at the net, and that’s what happens at 30-0. Alcaraz gets the better of it to take a point. Ruud, who is no longer dominating the long rallies, hits long on the next for 30-all.

The next point gets the crowd to its feet. Ruud forces Alcaraz to hit four difficult backhands. The last is a lob, but Ruud stretches up for the smash … only to see Alcaraz scramble to cover the shot and barely miss up the line. Alcaraz smiles despite losing the point. If ever a lost point was a confidence-builder, that was it.

And Ruud misses on the next point. Deuce.

Alcaraz, though, hits a drop attempt into the net. Ruud goes on to hold.

Third set: Alcaraz 4-4 Ruud* (* denotes next server)

Alcaraz eschews the between-the-legs shot for the next-to-the-legs reverse shot. It goes wide.

At 0-15, Alcaraz storms toward the net, and Ruud’s lob is a little long. Opportunity missed, perhaps.

Ruud takes the next point, but Alcaraz powers a forehand winner past him and gets a service winner for 40-30. Alcaraz powers through the next point and holds.

Third set: *Alcaraz 3-4 Ruud (* denotes next server)

A double fault at 40-0 interrupts a routine hold for Ruud. Serve, smash, no problem.

I’ve received an email from an unidentified source asking why there are so many empty seats. I haven’t seen many myself, but this is an event in which some people are here to be seen rather than to see, so it’s possible some people are out adjusting their makeup. Or getting an ice cream sundae. Or foie gras or whatever people who make more than journalists eat here.

Third set: Alcaraz 3-3 Ruud* (* denotes next server)

Serve and volley. Bread and butter. 15-0.

40-0, then a bad shot for 40-15.

Ruud hits long. Routine hold.

We’re about to hit the two-hour mark.

Incidentally, I’m eating Pringles, the potato chip in a tennis ball can. The great Mitch Hedberg said the Pringles folks originally wanted to make tennis balls, but then a bunch of potatoes arrived, and they said, “(Bleep) it; cut ‘em up!”

Third set: *Alcaraz 2-3 Ruud (* denotes next server)

Ruud serves and rallies effectively and goes up 40-15 on his only risky shot of the game thus far, catching the tiniest of slivers on the line. Alcaraz hits long on the next point, and it’s our first routine hold in a while.

Third set: Alcaraz 2-2 Ruud* (* denotes next server)

I have obtained food.

Alcaraz goes for a shot and misses.

Alcaraz goes for a shot and misses.

Ruud has double break point.

Alcaraz serves and volleys to fend one off.

Alcaraz goes for a shot and misses. Break, and we’re back on serve.

Third set: *Alcaraz 2-1 Ruud (* denotes next server)

ESPN tells us Alcaraz has now been on the court at Arthur Ashe Stadium for more than 22 hours in this tournament. He seems determined not to make it 24. He takes the first point and punctuates it with a fist pump. But he drops the next and then literally drops the next into the net.

Ruud, though, gets stranded at the net on the next point, and Alcaraz easily puts a lob over his head. Then Ruud hits wide, and Alcaraz has break point. A forehand winner erases that one and gets us to deuce, and Ruud outlasts Alcaraz to get game point, and Alcaraz returns wide on the next.

A big welcome to those of you who are joining us here because you’re unable to get to the US Open scores page. (Or is it just me?)

Third set: Alcaraz 2-0 Ruud* (* denotes next server)

Alcaraz quickly rattles off three points. The next one is fun, with Alcaraz scrambling to cover at the net but Ruud returning to take a point. Alcaraz responds with an ace. The Spanish teenager is so dangerous when he takes control.

Third set: *Alcaraz 1-0 Ruud (* denotes next server)

Drop, drop, DROP.

Alcaraz gets three break points against a suddenly misfiring Ruud. The Norwegian takes the next two points with a couple of neat drop shots. Alcaraz returns the favor. Break!

Tommy Marlow writes: “Seeing as you brought up The Warriors, I saw Xanadu for the first time last week, didn’t realise Michael Beck was in it. Anyway, it’s good to see Ruud has “come out to play”. Sorry!”

Hey, I’ve made worse jokes.

(And apologies to those unfamiliar with The Warriors, a cult classic about a gang that has to get back to its home base after being framed for the murder of a charismatic leader of another gang that’s trying to get all the gangs together. The Simpsons did a parody.)

Casper Ruud wins the second set 6-2

Second set: *Alcaraz 2-5 Ruud (* – denotes next server)

Alcaraz stumbles at the net, and Ruud hits a badminton-style backhand overhead winner. But Alcaraz fights back for another break point, and he seems energized. Then after two errors, he seems annoyed.

On game point, Alcaraz hits a lob that lands just in play. Ruud patiently waits for it to bounce high and smashes from his own baseline to hold.

Is there a term akin to “serve-and-volley” for a point in which the serve carries the returner out of position, and the server wins easily on the next shot from the baseline or backcourt? Three-shot rally? Serve-and-one?

Second set: Alcaraz 2-4 Ruud* (* – denotes next server)

Brilliant point at 0-30, with Ruud running Alcaraz to all corners of the court, mixing in a nice lob that Alcaraz chases down and a drop shot that he cannot. Alcaraz then botches a volley, and it’s 30-30. The middle of this set has been a lot more interesting than the beginning.

Then Ruud anticipates an Alcaraz drop shot to win another point. Break point!

Another great rally. Ruud again chases down an Alcaraz drop shot. He lobs. Alcaraz gets back to hit it but hits long. Break!

Second set: *Alcaraz 2-3 Ruud (* – denotes next server)

Now it’s getting less routine. Alcaraz drops a beauty just over the net, Ruud scrambles to get it, and Alcaraz hits a winner into the open court. The next rally goes on a while, and Alcaraz hits into the net.

At 15-15, Alcaraz goes for another drop shot, and it just misses wide. Ruud follows a good serve with a winner.

But Alcaraz didn’t get this far without a bag of tricks. He hits a tough angled backhand winner, then gets to deuce. In the next rally, he hops forward as if to anticipate that the next shot will bounce high for him, and it does. Backhand winner, break point.

Pressure on Ruud, and he responds with a service winner. Still no official aces, but that’ll do.

At deuce, Alcaraz tries to attack the second serve and fails. On game point, Ruud pins Alcaraz back well behind the baseline, and the Spaniard hits long. Ruud holds.

Second set: Alcaraz 2-2 Ruud* (* – denotes next server)

A point! A point for the returner!

And that’s it. To quote the Gramercy Riffs at the end of the film The Warriors, the rest is ours. (“Ours” being Alcaraz’s. OK, that’s a weak reference.)

Second set: *Alcaraz 1-2 Ruud (* – denotes next server)

Alcaraz won the first point of the set off Ruud’s serve. Since then, the server has won 12 straight points in the time it takes me to get to the fridge and back.

Second set: Alcaraz 1-1 Ruud* (* – denotes next server)

Are we sure this is Alcaraz? Isn’t each game supposed to last an hour? He holds at love with aces bookending the game.

Second set: *Alcaraz 0-1 Ruud (* – denotes next server)

As if to turn my prediction on its head, Ruud hits wide as Alcaraz approaches the net, taking this game to 30-30. But the Norwegian (not Dane, not Swede) hits a big winner and a big serve to hold.

Hathaway is joined at her seat by Zach Braff. I’ll make an effort to get a Christie Brinkley photo. I’m drawing the line at Kendall Jenner and David Lauren, the son of designer Ralph Lauren who overlapped with me at Duke.

First set stats …

(According to the Open’s site)

Winners: Alcaraz 13-6 Ruud

Unforced errors: Alcaraz 12-7 Ruud

Aces: Alcaraz 3-0 Ruud

Double faults: Alcaraz 0-1 Ruud

Points won: Alcaraz 32-29 Ruud

First serve in: Alcaraz 63%-52% Ruud

Net points won: Alcaraz 9-for-11, Ruud 3-for-7

Carlos Alcaraz wins the first set 6-4

*Alcaraz 5-4 Ruud (* -denotes next server)

Bruce Millar, who claims to have no Scandinavian ancestry at all, says: “Sorry to scotch Gary Naylor’s theory, but Jonas Vingegaard, who won the Tour de France this year, is Danish, not Norwegian. I know, you think all those Scandis are the same, but they’re not (and while Haaland is indeed Norsk, Denmark has by far the better football team, in the shape of Brentfod FC, Christian Eriksen and so on.)”

Is that Brentford, or is there a Danish team called Brentfod?

I don’t mean to neglect the match in progress, but there’s little suspense on Ruud’s service games right now. I predict Alcaraz will serve out the set here, and then Ruud will take the second.

Alcaraz 5-3 Ruud* (* – denotes next server)

Exceptional sportsmanship from Ruud, admitting that the ball bounced twice just before he got his racket to an effective Alcaraz shot. In Ultimate, they say karma eventually comes back to you, and Ruud wins the next two points.

Alcaraz, having had enough of cosmic forces, hits an ace and then a killer drop shot at the net. He goes on to hold.

Harry McDonald points out that the Tour de France champion is Danish, not Norwegian. That’ll teach me to let people go without fact-checking. Apologies to Jonas Vingegaard, who won a memorable duel with Tadej Pogačar.

And apologies to everyone else who’s emailing to make the same point.

*Alcaraz 4-3 Ruud (* – denotes next server)

Alcaraz has hardly made an impact on Ruud’s serve since his break. Ruud quickly goes up 40-0 but surrenders a point with an out-of-the-blue moment of flamboyance, a forehand between-the-legs shot that sails. He gets back to business on the next point and holds.

ESPN keeps showing Alcaraz’s coach, fellow Spaniard and one-time world No. 1 Juan Carlos Ferrero, who looks he has grown awfully tired of sitting in the stands through all of his protege’s epic matches.

Alcaraz 4-2 Ruud* (* – denotes next server)

Two winners and an ace for the Spaniard, though he does concede a couple of points.

I should point out that Norway is also pretty good at curling, and we in the curling world (I spent my morning cleaning up paint at our local cub as we prep for the season) are all still mourning the loss of 2010 silver medalist Thomas Ulsrud earlier this year. Yes, he was the guy with the pants.

*Alcaraz 3-2 Ruud (* – denotes next server)

When will we see a routine hold? Now. Ruud holds at love.

Guardian contributor Gary Naylor notes Norway’s dominance in competitive events …

Awfully kind of Magnus Carlsen to abdicate his chess championship and let someone else win something.

When Norway starts beating everyone in cricket and rugby, I think we just give up.

Alcaraz 3-1 Ruud* (* – denotes next server)

Alcaraz is firmly in control, until he isn’t, and then he faces break point. He takes that point with a nice drop shot and elicits an error to take the advantage. (The US Open stats feed calls that an unforced error, but I disagree.) Alcaraz clinches it with an emphatic smash.

ESPN points to one cluster of fans that includes Jerry Seinfeld, Jessica Seinfeld, Jon Bon Jovi and … Debbie Gibson? Did I hear that right, or was it only in my dreams?

The US Open features heavily in a classic Seinfeld episode, of course.

*Alcaraz 2-1 Ruud (* – denotes next server)

One break point, then two, and now three, as Alcaraz hits a winner to end a frenetic 14-shot rally. 40-0.

Ruud easily brushes aside the first of them. Then he can’t handle Alcaraz’s return. Break!

Alcaraz 1-1 Ruud* (* – denotes next server)

Ouch. At 15-15, Alcaraz goes for the serve-and-volley, but the “volley” part goes into the net a few feet ahead of him. Ruud hits a neat backhand winner off Alcaraz’s second serve to get two break points.

You’d think someone who has spent as many hours on the court at Arthur Ashe Stadium wouldn’t show any nerves here, but this is not a great start to the teenager’s first service game. He comes back quickly, though, with two serves Ruud can’t return, and then an ace, then a quick winner.

Both players have faced break points. Both have held.

*Alcaraz 0-1 Ruud (* – denotes next server)

The Norwegian opens with a service winner and gets to 30-0, but it goes downhill quickly from there, and he faces break point after Alcaraz attacks his second serve. Alcaraz hits long in high-powered baseline rally, and we’re at deuce. This is going to be another five-hour match, isn’t it?

A double fault gives Alcaraz another break point, but Ruud serves well and maintains the initiative in the ensuing rally to fend it off.

Ruud comes to the net on the next point, and then it gets interesting. Alcaraz defends multiple attempts to put the game away but can’t find the great lob he used against Tiafoe, and Alcaraz finally hits into the net. Ruud holds from there.

Want some great visuals from the Open? Check The Guardian’s gallery:

The most surprising of these photos: A Spotted Lanternfly, which is an invasive species in the US. As are half the plants in my yard.

And one last comment on broadcasting in the UK: Leslee Rainbird says to check Amazon Prime.

Ruud will serve. Off we go …

Celebrity predictions

Head to head …

Ruud was in another final earlier this year at the 1000-level (that’s good) final in Miami, losing in straight sets to … Alcaraz.

They also played on clay last year, with Alcaraz winning that one as well.

Prematch interview with Casper Ruud, and the question has something to do with the fact that he was also in the final at Roland Garros. He doesn’t offer too much other than it’s been a great year.

Carlos Alcaraz is asked about the prospect of being the youngest player to take the No. 1 spot and about how he has said he has “no time to be tired” after his epic matches thus far. He agrees.

National anthem time. The USA’s, that is. Not Norway’s or Spain’s. Do they do this at Wimbledon, Roland Garros or the Australian Open? Just curious.

Aiden Doyle answers: “Download the US Open app and there is a radio stream on there. Works in the UK and the commentary is excellent.”

I already have mail, a simple request for information on a UK radio broadcast of this men’s final. Can someone who isn’t in the United States help?

If you’d like to reach me during this match, please do email me. I may occasionally check Twitter as well.

A general question on the Davis Cup, Billie Jean King Cup (formerly Fed Cup) and Olympics: US collegiate tennis, which attracts a considerable number of international players as well as Americans, has a team format with six singles players and three doubles teams. The doubles matches are played first, and which team wins two of the three matches collects a point. Each singles match is also worth a point.

Would that be a better format that what we have now in the Davis and Billie Jean King cups? Would a team format make the Olympics more interesting?

Or how about the format for World Team Tennis (which is taking 2022 off)? That has men’s and women’s singles, men’s and women’s doubles, and mixed doubles, all playing one set to five rather than six, with each game worth a point in the team score. (A shutout would therefore be 25-0.)

In other events …

Women’s doubles has just concluded, with Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova of the Czech Republic defeating the USA’s Taylor Townsend and Caty McNally 3-6, 7-5, 6-1.

Men’s wheelchair singles also wrapped today, with second seed Alfie Hewitt of Britain defeating top seed Shingo Kunieda of Japan.

The top seeds are also meeting in the women’s wheelchair singles at Louis Armstrong Stadium, with Japan’s Yui Kamiji leading the Netherlands’ Diede de Groot. Later on at Armstrong, it’s another matchup of top two seeds in quad singles – an all-Netherlands matchup of 19-year-old Niels Vink and Sam Schroder.

Vink and Schroder teamed up earlier to win the quad doubles event. We had another case of doubles partners in the singles final in boys wheelchair events, with 17-year-old Ben Bartram of Norwich defeating 17-year-old Dahnon Ward of Keyworth in singles but teaming up to win the doubles event.

Other winners in New York:

• Women’s singles: Iga Swiatek (Poland)

• Men’s doubles: Rajeev Ram (USA)/Joe Salisbury (UK)

• Mixed doubles: Storm Sanders/John Peers (Australia)

How they got here …

Ruud cruised past Britain’s Kyle Edmund, beat Tim van Rijthoven in four sets, then needed four hours and 23 minutes to beat the USA’s Tommy Paul – and that was with a 6-0 fifth set. His fourth-round win over France’s Corentin Moutet was a bit quicker – 6-1, 6-2, 6-7, 6-2. Ruud followed that with a straight-set win over Italy’s Matteo Berrettini in the quarter-finals and solid three-hour win over Karen Khachanov, spoiling the run of the man who spoiled Nick Kyrgios’ run in the quarter-finals.

Alcaraz scaled El Capitan, solved Fermat’s Last Theorem, brokered lasting peace in the Middle East and defeated home-national favorite Frances Tiafoe.

At least, it seems as if his feats in the early rounds have been this arduous. He opened with straight-set wins over a pair of Argentinians – Sebastian Baez and Federico Coria – and beat 21-year-old American Jenson Brooksby.

Then it got interesting:

3 hours and 54 minutes to beat Croatia’s Marin Cilic 6-4, 3-6, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3.

5 hours and 15 minutes to beat Italy’s Jannik Sinner 6-3, 6-7, 6-7, 7-5, 6-3.

4 hours and 19 minutes to beat the USA’s Frances Tiafoe 6-7, 6-3, 6-1, 6-7, 6-3.

He’s still just 19, which means he has spent roughly half his life on the court at Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Who’s No. 1?

We’ll know in about two hours. Or three. Or five. Probably by midnight, anyway.

If you don’t know the names Casper Ruud and Carlos Alcaraz — well, first of all, you’ve missed a great tournament. But moving forward, you certainly WILL know these names, and you should start by knowing that the winner today will take not only US Open title but the top ranking in the world.

Alcaraz looks like the face of the future. He’s only 19, but he already has a dizzying array of shots and a bottomless gas tank.

(Wait — isn’t a bottomless gas tank a bad thing? Wouldn’t that be a big spill? And why use fossil fuels at all? Maybe a self-recharging battery?)

Ruud, though, is far more than a speed bump on the way to Alcaraz’s ascension. He has nine career titles, though eight are on clay. This matchup will surely recur many times over the years, especially at Roland Garros.

So get comfortable, order some pizza (New York-style, of course, in honor of the occasion — but also because Chicago-style pizza is actually a casserole) and follow along as this breathtaking tournament draws to a conclusion.

Beau will be here shortly. In the meantime, here’s Tumaini Carayol on what is likely to be an absorbing contest:

Over the course of an intense, chaotic and wildly entertaining US Open semi-final between Carlos Alcaraz and Frances Tiafoe, as their combined creativity, athleticism and joy merged to create entertainment in its purest form, Alcaraz absorbed so many blows. He conceded a difficult first set tiebreak with a double fault, then after establishing his dominance, he couldn’t hold on. Alcaraz continually lost his serve, failed to take a match point and found himself in a fifth set.

There were so many moments when the momentum could have dangerously shifted, but no matter how the match twisted, he maintained his intensity until the end. Across the three consecutive five-set battles that have led him to the final, this resilience has been his defining characteristic. It will make him so hard to put away as he faces Casper Ruud for the men’s US Open title on Sunday.

Together, they have engineered a fascinating scenario that marks a stark contrast to the years of dominance by the big three. Not only will Ruud and Alcaraz compete for their first grand slam title in the final, but the world No 1 ranking is also on the line. It is rare enough for players to reach the world summit for the first time after winning a slam. The most recent occurrence in the men’s game coming when Novak Djokovic won Wimbledon in 2011, his third major.

The obstacles for Ruud are clearly numerous. Despite reaching his second grand slam final of the season, Ruud has never beaten a top-10 opponent at a grand slam tournament – what a time it would be to finally do so. They faced each other in a big final earlier this year at the Miami Open, a first Masters 1000 final for both, and although Alcaraz still had not yet broken the top 15, he won in two tight sets.

You can read the full story below: