US Open 2022: Spain's Carlos Alcaraz on Sunday took the Tennis World by storm when he defeated Norway's Casper Ruud in the summit clash of the US Open. The 19-year-old Spaniard downed Ruud in a four-set encounter by 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 (7-1), 6-3 at the packed Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York. With this win, Alcaraz has written his name in Gold letters in the books of Tennis as he has become the youngest man to reach the World No. 1 ranking in the Sport.
"Well, this is something that I dreamed of since I was a kid. It’s something I worked really, really hard (for). It’s tough to talk to right now. A lot of emotions," Alcaraz said after the match.
Alcaraz has been considered the next big thing in the Tennis World. He has shattered multiple records on his way to his first Grand Slam. The teenager has also become the youngest man to lift a Grand Slam title since a 19-year-old Rafael Nadal won the French Open in 2005, and is the youngest to crown the title at Flushing Meadows since Pete Sampras achieved the feat when he was 19 in 1990.
"You have to give everything on the tennis court. You have to give everything you have inside yourself. I worked really, really hard to earn this feat,” Alcaraz said. “It’s not time to be tired," the Spaniard added.
Alcaraz now also holds the record for most time spent on a Tennis court in Single events in major Grand Slams. He surpassed Kevin Anderson's time of 23 hours and 21 minutes which made Anderson the runner-up at Wimbledon 2018. Alcaraz has spent a time of 23 hours and 39 minutes on the court at Flushing Meadows.
Talking about the match, it saw emotions running high, the crowd cheering behind the players and some highest quality of tennis. The match was a closely fought contest. Alcaraz won the first set with 13 winners as compared to Ruud's six. He broke the Norwegian in the set and held his serves to start on a high note. But Ruud was clinical in the second set, breaking the 19-year-old twice to bring the summit clash back to level.
The third set saw a brilliant neck-to-neck fight. Alcaraz started with a break and led 2-0 before Ruud levelled 2-2. Both the players gave it their all and Ruud had a chance to lead the match as he had two set points in the third set. But that was brilliantly negotiated by the Spaniard, forcing the set into the tiebreaker and clinching it.
In the fourth set, Alcaraz yet again displayed his power-hitting strokes and led 5-3 with a break in the sixth game. But before Ruud could make another comeback, Alcaraz's powerful ace powered him to the victory at the Flushing Meadows.
