Spanish teenager claimed his maiden Grand Slam title after defeating Casper Ruud 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 (7/1), 6-3 in the final.
Alcaraz fell to his back and covered his face before jumping up to shake hands with Ruud.
He then climbed into the stands to celebrate in his box with his team.
The roof closed at the Arthur Ashe Stadium and the crowd observed a moment’s silence on the 21st anniversary of the September 11 attacks.
Both men saved break points in their opening service games before Carlos gained the only break of the first set. Ruud dropped the the first set but came back strongly to win the second.
Carlos Alcaraz was ahead 2-0 in the third set before Ruud hit back. The Norwegian had two set points in an 11-minute 12th game but was unable to convert.
The spanish teenager raced through to his first tiebreak win of the tournament and Ruud’s game fell suddenly apart.
The 19-year-old was high on confidance in the 4th set and played agrassive tennis.
Carlos Alcaraz served 12 aces and sailed through to victory and became the younger World No 1 as well.
“This is something I dreamed of since I was a kid, to be number one in the world, to be the champion at a Grand Slam,” Alcaraz said in on-court interview after wining the match. [via atptour.com]
Alcaraz’s road to victory
The championship came at the end of an epic week for Alcaraz. Just to get to the final, he played three straight five-set matches.
His quarterfinal victory over Jannik Sinner, during which he was one point away from elimination.
The next night, he fought it out with Tiafoe in the Semi Final.
the game went to the 5th set, Carlos helf his nerve and made it to his first Grand Slam Final.
Carlos Alcaraz’s rise to the top of the sport had been predicted for years.
His forehand is brilliant, and his ability to chase down balls that other players would not bother trying to reach is thrilling to watch.
He has dazzled crowds everywhere he has played during his first two years, it’s safe to say that the era of this great player has just started.
