Carlos Alcaraz is close to becoming the second youngest winner of the US Open, but standing in his way is the might of Norwegian Casper Ruud. The two stars made it to the final after beating Karen Khachanov and Frances Tiafoe respectively, but there's a lot more at stake for either tennis star heading into Sunday's (Monday 1:30 am IST) final, especially for Alcaraz.
Alcaraz beat the likes of Sebastian Baez and Marin Cilic, needing three hours and 57 minutes to beat the latter. His real challenge was in the Quarterfinals when he took on Jannik Sinner. The 19-year-old kept his Italian counterpart at bay for five hours and 26 minutes and then took down the mighty Tiafoe in four hours and 19 minutes to reach his first-ever Grand Slam final.
In doing so, Alcaraz now stands a chance of becoming the youngest-ever tennis player to clinch the no. 1 spot in the ATP rankings, breaking a record earlier set by Lleyton Hewitt (20 years and nine months old) by over a year. This is also his first appearance in a grand slam final. Ruud will also be chasing the same title.
The duo have faced each other twice in 2022, with Alcaraz prevailing over his opponent on both occasions. However, it will be interesting to see whether fatigue plays a part in the contest given that Alcaraz had to battle for over 13 hours to reach the US Open final.
"To be honest in the semi-final of a Grand Slam you have to give everything... we have to fight until the last ball. It doesn't matter if we are fighting for five hours, or six hours. It doesn't matter. You have to give everything on the court," Alcaraz said after the match.
"Frances gave everything on the court. This is amazing," he added.
About the final match, he said, “I'm going to give everything that I have. I will have to handle the nerves of being in a final of a Grand Slam, but obviously, I'm really, really happy and as I said before every match, I'm going to enjoy it. I'm going to enjoy the moment and let's see what happens.”
