Carlos Alcaraz defeats Casper Ruud to win the US Open final
The Argentine defeated the Dutchman by a score of 5-4, 5-7, 6-7, 6-4 to complete an improbable comeback against the world number one at the US Open in Flushing Meadows.
The 32-year-old was once again battling an early-season hip injury but made up for lost time to go on and win the title for the ninth time, his fifth at Flushing Meadows and fifth major title, with his second Wimbledon victory.
Alcaraz was having to come from behind to beat the world number one, who was serving for the sixth time in the last eight games and five in a row to end the match at 4-2 up on Saturday.
The Argentine has won five of his last six majors including his sixth Wimbledon title. He began his 2016 campaign in style by defeating his compatriot Nicolas Almagro 6-3, 7-6 (2/6) in a match that lasted the full five hours.
The Argentine’s victory was more than just a result on the clay of the French Open, where he claimed his second title of the season in Paris last week but more importantly a confirmation that he can be an effective player even on hard courts. The win was his 11th victory on Grand Slam hard courts this year, up from eight titles.
But Almagro’s run was not even his longest of the season, as he also claimed his 11th career major title at the U.S. Open against fellow Argentine Pablo Cuevas.
The pair met in the semi-finals of the Paris Open last month where they were the last two men to advance from the round robin stage. Cuevas won that match 6-4, 6-3 and will meet Almagro in the round of 16 for the fourth time this year when they face off in the last four of the tournament.
The third seed, also has 10 career US Open titles, while Alcaraz won the title in 2012, 2006 and 2004