CNN — Frances Tiafoe’s run at the US Open ended Friday with a loss to No. 3 seed Carlos Alcaraz in the semifinals. After being down in the match, Tiafoe had forced
CNN
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Frances Tiafoe’s run at the US Open ended Friday with a loss to No. 3 seed Carlos Alcaraz in the semifinals.
After being down in the match, Tiafoe had forced a fifth set, delighting the Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd – which included Michelle Obama. But it was the 19-year-old and world No. 4 from Spain who pulled through, 6-7(6), 6-3, 6-1, 6-7(5), 6-3 in four hours, 19 minutes.
Alcaraz will face Norway’s Casper Ruud, the No. 5 seed, in Sunday’s final, and the stakes are high: The winner will rise to No. 1 in the world for the first time.
The No. 22 seed Tiafoe, 24, was seeking to become the first American grand slam men’s finalist since Andy Roddick at Wimbledon in 2009. Roddick was the last American man to reach the final at the US Open, in 2006, and is the last American man to win a major, which came at the US Open in 2003.
“Too good from Carlos tonight,” Tiafoe told ESPN in front of the crowd. “I gave everything I had. I gave everything I had the last two weeks. Honestly, I came here and wanted to win the US Open. I feel like I let you guys down. This one really hurts. This one really, really hurts.”
Alcaraz is “going to win a lot of grand slams,” Tiafoe told the teen phenom. “You’re a hell of a player, a hell of a person. I’m happy I got to share the court on such a big stage with you. I’m going to come back and I will win this thing one day. I’m sorry, guys.”
If Alcaraz wins the final, he will become the youngest world No. 1. Should he ascend to the top, he would tie Carlos Moya, Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras for the biggest jumps to world No. 1 (from No. 4).
“It’s amazing to be able to fight for big things,” Alcaraz said to ESPN in an on-court interview. “First time in a final of a grand slam. I can see the No. 1 in the world, but at the same time, it’s so far away, you know? I have one more to go against a player who plays unbelievable. … I’m going to give everything that I have.”
Should Ruud, 23, win the title, he would make biggest jump to world No. 1 in men’s tennis history. He entered the US Open ranked seventh. He defeated Russian Karen Khachanov, the No. 27 seed, 7-6(5), 6-2, 5-7, 6-2 in the earlier Friday semifinal.
“I think what’s most fair is if we both reach the final and whoever wins the final reaches the world No. 1,” Ruud told reporters as Alcaraz was playing in his semifinal. “That would be I think the ideal situation.”
This will be Ruud’s second grand slam final appearance, having lost in the French Open final earlier this year to Rafael Nadal. Nadal, who lost to Tiafoe in the round of 16, would have risen to No. 1 in the world if Ruud and Alcaraz had both lost in the US Open semifinals.
This will be Alcaraz’s first grand slam final.
This year there were four first-time US Open men’s semifinalists for the first time since the inaugural US Championships in 1881 (William Glyn, Robert Gould Shaw, Edward Gray, Richard Sears). Sears went on to win that title.
For years, tennis fans have been fearing the day the sport’s ‘Big Three’ all finally decide to hang up their rackets.
Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic are unquestionably the three greatest players of all time – whichever order you have them in is down to personal preference – and their inevitable departures from the Tour will leave a hole no player will be able to fill.
However, the rise of youngsters such as Daniil Medvedev, Alex Zverev and Stefanos Tsitsipas in recent years has provided enough evidence to suggest that there will be no lack of entertainment and drama once the ‘Big Three’ do finally decide to call it quits.
This season, fans have seen another future superstar in Alcaraz emerge, while Tiafoe, now 24 years old, has finally come of age at the US Open and earned the breakthrough at a grand slam that many have been predicting for a couple of years now.
Hailing from the region of Murcia in Spain and being a clay court specialist, Alcaraz has naturally drawn comparisons to his compatriot and idol Nadal.
But while the 19-year-old has immense respect for the player he has looked up to during his childhood, Alcaraz has no desire to be dubbed “the next Nadal” or “mini Nadal,” as has happened on more than one occasion during his fledgling career.
Instead, as he told CNN Sport back in March, he wants to carve out his own legacy and be known only as Alcaraz.
He has certainly gone a long way towards achieving that already.
After winning his maiden ATP title in 2021, Alcaraz has flourished further in 2022, winning four titles – including two Masters 1000 tournaments – to rise up the rankings to No. 4 in the world.
“I mean, everything came so fast, two Masters 1000 titles – one on hard court, one on clay court,” he told CNN’s Don Riddell in May.
“So if at the beginning of the season, someone told me that I’m going to achieve these tournaments – Barcelona as well – I didn’t believe it, I didn’t believe him. For me, I don’t know what to say about an unbelievable month for me.
“It’s good that everyone’s talking about you and is going to watch your match. For me, it’s pretty good. But it gives me a lot of power to play in the best stadiums against the best players in the world. So for me, it’s quite cool.”
Carlos Alcaraz to CNN: ‘I’m playing unbelievable tennis’
He went into this year’s French Open in sensational form and was tipped by many to be among the favorites to win but lost in the quarterfinals to Zverev.
Now, in New York, he has reached the final of a grand slam for the first time and as the highest ranked man left in the draw will be the favorite to win.
Tiafoe, five years Alcaraz’s senior, won his maiden ATP title back in 2018 and many believed it would be a win that would spark a rapid rise to the top.
Though still touted as a rising star, that rise has been steady rather than meteoric. Last month, Tiafoe reached a career-high of No. 24 in the world – he’s currently 26th – and this year has shown flashes of the quality that many predicted would take him to the top.
But make no mistake, given Tiafoe’s disappointing form coming into the US Open, there was no indication that he would make a deep run in New York. However, the big-hitting Washington, D.C. native has mentioned on more than one occasion how the home support on Arthur Ashe has spurred him on to new heights.
In winning his quarterfinal, Tiafoe became the first Black American man to reach a US Open semifinal since Ashe in 1972.
His father, Constant Tiafoe, started working at the Junior Tennis Champions Center in Washington back in 1999 and eventually moved into one of its vacant storage rooms while working around the clock.
READ: How Frances Tiafoe went from sleeping at a tennis center to the US Open semifinals
His two twin boys, Frances and Franklin, would sometimes stay with him, sleeping on a massage table, while their mother worked night shifts as a nurse.
The unusual gateway into the sport gave Tiafoe an opportunity to start developing his skills and, after beginning to train at the facility, he didn’t look back.
“Obviously, I wasn’t the wealthy kid or wasn’t having all the new stuff or whatever. But I was just living life. I could play tennis for free, the sport I loved,” he told CNN Sport back in 2015, adding that he wouldn’t change his upbringing for the world.
He was asked Wednesday what message people should draw from his story.
“I mean, anybody can do it, honestly,” he said, adding that his passion and obsession is tennis. “Obviously, that’s a cliché, but I think if you are really passionate about something… Everybody’s got a gift.”
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It’s telling of the 19-year-old’s determined character and competitive nature that he already has his sights set on another grand slam win in 2023.
Alcaraz’s victory in New York after two weeks of grueling tennis — the youngster played three consecutive marathon five-set matches in the rounds leading into the final — makes him the youngest player to win a grand slam since Rafael Nadal lifted the first of his 14 French Open titles in 2005.
Both hailing from Spain and being naturals on clay, the comparisons between Alcaraz and Nadal were inevitable. Despite idolizing Nadal while growing up, Alcaraz has always batted away ‘the next Nadal’ or ‘mini Nadal’ monikers, instead insisting he wants to carve out his own legacy.
On Sunday, he took the first — and perhaps hardest — step on that journey.
“I worked really, really hard the last couple of years, I suffered a lot as well on this path to reach this trophy,” Alcaraz told CNN Sport‘s Carolyn Manno after his four-set win over Casper Ruud. “Of course, it’s time to still keep working, to stay at the top for many years or try to get more grand slams.
“It’s not always happy on the path, you have to suffer a lot, a lot of tough moments in your life, so you have to overcome that. I worked, really, really hard for this.
“I’ve got the first one at 19 years old, I hope to get another one next year, but I suffered a lot these two weeks, so I know it’s really, really tough to get a grand slam, but I will work for another one. I will fight to get another one and so this is a goal for me next year.”
Record breaker
With his victory, Alcaraz also claims the No. 1 world ranking for the first time, becoming the youngest player in ATP history to do so. It’s a fitting way to cap what has been an astonishing breakout year for the young man from El Palmar in the region of Murcia.
After winning his maiden ATP title in 2021, Alcaraz has flourished further in 2022, winning four titles — including two Masters 1000 tournaments — to rise up the rankings from No. 32 at the start of the year.
Sunday’s battle against Ruud is a match-up tennis fans are likely to see much more of in the future, with the Norwegian tipped by many to be a future grand slam champion.
After clinching match point, a visibly emotional Alcaraz fell to floor, though that likely could have been as much down to exhaustion as it was emotion. He somehow managed to find the strength to climb through the stands to reach his supporter’s box, sharing hugs with friends, family and his coach, former world No. 1 Juan Carlos Ferrero.
“This moment means a lot to me, it’s something I was looking for since I started playing tennis,” Alcaraz said after his victory. “I worked really, really hard to be able to lift this trophy today, to become the best player in the world. For me, this feeling is indescribable, so this trophy means a lot to me.
“I thought about when I started playing tennis and, of course, all of my family, all of my coaches during my life, everything from what I was a kid. When you are a kid, you always dream about a lot of things and to be No. 1 in the world and to be a champion of a grand slam were dreams for me.
“So right now lifting this trophy is a dream come true for me, so I’m so happy.”
Nadal was among the first people to offer plaudits for Alcaraz’s achievement, with some viewing his victory in New York as the official passing of the torch for Spanish tennis.
“Congratulations @carlosalcaraz for your first Grand Slam and for the number 1 ranking, which is the culmination of your first great season and of which I am sure there will be many more!” the 22-time grand slam champion wrote on Twitter.
With the skill, will and determination that were on display in Arthur Ashe Stadium on Sunday, it looks as if Spain will continue to have tennis glory to celebrate for years to come.
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CNN
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Carlos Alcaraz is now the youngest world No. 1 in the history of the ATP rankings after defeating Casper Ruud in the US Open Final on Sunday.
Alcaraz, 19, defeated 23-year-old Ruud 6-4 2-6 7-6(7-1) 6-3 in a match that took over three hours in New York.
He is the youngest world No. 1 since the ATP rankings began in 1973 – breaking the mark set by Lleyton Hewitt, who was 20 when he became number one in 2001 – and becomes the youngest men’s singles grand slam winner since compatriot Rafael Nadal, won the first of his major titles in June 2005.
“This is something I’ve dreamt of since I was a kid. To be No. 1 in the world, to be a champion,” Alcaraz said, adding he thought about some of his family members who couldn’t make it to watch him play.
“I always say it’s not time to be tired in the final round of the grand slam, you have to give everything you have inside,” he said.
Ruud, who was trying to become the first Norwegian to capture the top spot, said he’ll continue chasing the No. 1 spot. He will rise to second in the world from number seven.
“Today was a special day, both Carlos and I knew what we were playing for and both knew what was a stake,” Ruud said. “I’m disappointed of course that I’m not No. 1, but No. 2 isn’t so bad either.”
Alcaraz played three consecutive five-set matches on the way to the final, including the second-longest match in the history of the US Open when he overcame Jannik Sinner at 2:50 a.m. in the quarterfinals on Thursday – the tournament’s latest ever finish.
Throughout the US Open, the Spaniard enthralled crowds with his speed, athleticism and outrageous shot-making. This latest victory could be the first of many grand slam titles over the course of his career.
Alcaraz broke early in the first set but faltered in the second, before taking a tense third-set tiebreak after saving two set points in the final game of the set. Seven straight points moved the Spaniard to within a set from the trophy.
Ruud had no answer to his opponent’s crushing forehand and serves in the fourth set and, unburdened by the weight of history, Alvarez broke for a decisive 4-2 lead to see out a sensational win.
A clay court specialist, Alcaraz has drawn comparisons to 22-time grand slam champion Nadal and is just the second player in the Open Era to make the US Open final in his teens after Pete Sampras.
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