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
Queens, New York
CNN
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Coco Gauff, the world No. 10 women’s singles player, has defeated Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka 2-6 6-3 6-2 with a dramatic comeback in the women’s US Open final.
The star-studded crowd erupted with applause after Gauff’s home-turf victory at Arthur Ashe Stadium in Queens. The win is 19-year-old Gauff’s first career grand slam and makes her the first American teenager to win the US Open since 23-time major champion Serena Williams took the title in 1999.
“I feel like I’m in shock at this moment,” said an emotional Gauff after her win. “God puts you through tribulations and trials, and that makes this moment sweeter than I would have imagined.”
She thanked her family, her team, and “the people who didn’t believe in me.”
Bidding for her second major title of the year, the soon-to-be women’s world No. 1 Sabalenka made quick work in the first set, breaking Gauff’s serve three times to win 6-2 in dominant fashion.
However, with the packed crowd chanting “Let’s go Coco,” Gauff raised her level in the second set, going up a break before eventually taking it 6-3 to force a deciding third set.
A locked-in Gauff took control in the third set, going up a double break to inch ever closer to her maiden grand slam title. Although Sabalenka took the next two games, Gauff closed out the match to become the 12th teenager in US Open history to win the title.
“I don’t know, I just knew that if I didn’t give it my all, I had no shot at winning,” Gauff said on how she found the strength to rally after dropping the first set.
In her run to the final, the athlete twice lost the first set of a match, once in the first round against Laura Siegemund and again in the third round against Elise Mertens.
With the victory, Gauff becomes the third American teenager to win the US Open title, joining Williams and Tracy Austin. She is set to move up to No. 3 in the WTA singles rankings, and co-No. 1 in doubles along with compatriot Jessica Pegula.
After clinching the victory, Gauff dropped to the ground before getting up to hug Sabalenka. Afterward, Gauff was overcome with emotion and knelt down to take in the moment.
Gauff poked fun at her father after the match as she thanked her family. “Thank you first to my parents,” she said. “Today was the first time I’ve ever seen my dad cry. He doesn’t want me to tell y’all that, but he got caught in 4K!”
Gauff also told reporters her parents helped when she would be too self-critical, placing too much value in whether she won or lost.
“I used to put my tennis and compare it to like my self-worth. When I would lose, I would think, you know, I was not worth it as a person. So having my parents always remind me that they love me regardless of how I do helped me today.”
When asked the significance of being the latest Black woman to win the women’s singles title, Gauff credited prior champions such as Venus Williams and Serena Williams, who “paved the way for me to be here” and added she was inspired by seeing Sloane Stephens win the US Open in 2017.
“I hope that another girl can see this and believe that they can do it, and hopefully their name can be on this trophy, too,” she said.
Meanwhile, despite the loss, the Belarusian star will move to No. 1 in the WTA singles rankings on Monday, ending Iga Świątek’s 75-consecutive week reign.
Sabalenka congratulated her competitor, saying, “I hope we play in many more finals” and calling Gauff “amazing.”
The American in turn congratulated Sabalenka on her rise to the No. 1 position. “Aryna is an incredible player,” she said. “Congratulations on the No. 1 ranking, it’s well deserved.”
At a news conference after the match, Sabalenka said the loss was a “lesson” for her and she had started “overthinking” during the second set.
“It’s me against me,” she said. Gauff “was moving really and defending better than anybody else.”
“I was playing against the crowd,” she added.
In pictures: Coco Gauff victorious in US Open women’s final
A first grand slam for Gauff
The last time Gauff and Sabalenka met was in the quarterfinals of Indian Wells in March, with the Belarusian winning comfortably, 6-4 6-0. Saturday’s final was an altogether different contest, however, with Gauff having improved rapidly in the six months that have passed since that defeat.
The 19-year-old has won three WTA titles this season, including the biggest of her career in Cincinnati just before the US Open.
The competition was the second grand slam final of Gauff’s career after reaching the French Open final in 2022, where she was swiftly defeated by Iga Świątek.
Following her 6-4 7-5 semifinal win over Karolína Muchová, Gauff spoke about the improvement in her mentality, going from somebody blighted by imposter syndrome to now believing she is capable of contending with the best players in the world.
She is not only contending but can now be regarded as one of the best players in the world after this win.
Gauff was facing a formidable opponent – the best player in the world. Until her semifinal against Madison Keys, Sabalenka had been dominant in New York – not dropping a set and never losing more than five games in a match.
However, despite defeat Sabalenka’s run to the final has capped a remarkable year in which she won three titles – including her first grand slam at the Australian Open and her sixth Masters 1000 title in Madrid.
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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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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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