Carlos Alcaraz beat Casper Ruud 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 (1), 6-3 in the U.S. Open final to collect his first Grand Slam title at age 19 and become the youngest man to lead the ATP rankings. A pivotal moment came when Alcaraz faced two set points while serving down 6-5 in the third. But Alcaraz erased each of those point-from-the-set opportunities for Ruud with the sort of quick-reflex, soft-hand volleys he repeatedly displayed. Alcaraz then was much better in the tiebreaker and got the one break he needed in the fourth set.
Alcaraz is the youngest since Pete Sampras in 1990 to win a Grand Slam title in men's tennis and the youngest since Rafael Nadal in 2005 to win a Grand Slam title (the French Open). Alcaraz hails from the tiny Spanish village of El Palmar. As a young athlete, he has won several Spanish and European championships. He acquired his tennis skills at a facility run by his father, a semi-pro. Former World no. 1 Juan Carlos Ferrero is his coach. As a 16-year-old, Alcaraz won his debut ATP match against Albert Ramos Vinolas. Alcaraz started playing tennis at the age of four.
In May when Alcaraz advanced to the Madrid Open final by defeating Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, he was on the court for a record-breaking 23 hours and 39 minutes.Â
--With PTI inputs
