Spanish teenager Carlos Alcaraz beat Casper Ruud in the US Open final in New York, to fulfil his potential as a future Grand Slam champion and world number one.
Alcaraz won 6-4 2-6 7-6 (7-1) 6-3 in his first major final.
If he had won, 23-yr-old Ruud would have become the world number 1. But he lost both the finals he reached.
Instead, Alcaraz will replace Russia’s Daniil Medvedev as number 1. He thus becomes the first teenager to be numero uno in the 49-year history of the ATP rankings.
“This is something which I dreamt of since I was a kid, being number one in the world and a champion of a Grand Slam,” said Alcaraz, who saved a match point against Jannik Sinner in the last eight to reach his first major semi-final.
“It is something I have worked very hard for. It is really, really special.”
Alcaraz the genius?
Blessed with supreme athleticism and strong shots, the teenager has been tipped for greatness.
Alcaraz was touted as a potential superstar at the age of eleven. Former world number one Juan Carlos Ferrero has helping polish Alcaraz’s game which has seen the teenager hit new heights this season.
Over the past fortnight he has shown his extreme talent and strong will to win over legions of new fans. This only buttresses the fact that he is considered by many as the player best placed to replace Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer men’s tennis in the coming years.
Alcaraz is the youngest Grand Slam men’s finalist since Nadal won the 2005 French Open and the youngest US Open men’s finalist since Pete Sampras claimed it in 1990.
