Alcaraz defeats Ruud in U.S. Open final for 1st Grand Slam title, No. 1 ranking | CBC Sports

Carlos Alcaraz used his combination of moxie and maturity to beat Casper Ruud 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 (1), 6-3 in the U.S. Open final on Sunday to earn his first Grand Slam title at age 19 and become the youngest man to be ranked No. 1.

Alcaraz is a Spaniard who was appearing in his eighth major tournament and second at Flushing Meadows but already has attracted plenty of attention as someone considered the Next Big Thing in men’s tennis.

He was serenaded by choruses of “Ole, Ole, Ole! Carlos!” that reverberated off the closed roof at Arthur Ashe Stadium — and Alcaraz often motioned to the supportive spectators to get louder.

He only briefly showed signs of fatigue from having to get through three consecutive five-setters to reach the title match, something no one had done in New York in 30 years.

Alcaraz dropped the second set and faced a pair of set points while down 6-5 in the third. But he erased each of those point-from-the-set opportunites for Ruud with the sorts of quick-reflect, soft-hand volleys he repeatedly displayed.

One break in the fourth was all it took for Alcaraz to seal the victory in the only Grand Slam final between two players seeking both a first major championship and the top spot in the ATP’s computerized rankings, which date to 1973.

Ruud is a 23-year-old from Norway who is now 0-2 in Slam finals. He was the runner-up to Rafael Nadal at the French Open in June.

Krejcikova, Siniakova complete career Grand Slam

The only thing that could stop Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova in Grand Slam tournaments this year was COVID-19.

The Czechs won their third major in 2022 and completed a career Grand Slam on Sunday, rallying late to beat Caty McNally and Taylor Townsend 3-6, 7-5, 6-1 in the U.S. Open women’s doubles final.

Krejcikova and Siniakova began the year by winning the Australian Open for the first time but couldn’t defend their 2021 French Open title after Krejcikova tested positive for COVID-19 and withdrew after losing her opening singles match.

They then won Wimbledon for the second time and now own six major titles.

The Americans were playing together in a major for the first time after Townsend returned this year following the birth of her son in March 2021. They couldn’t match the experience of the Czechs, who began playing together as juniors.

It was the second straight loss in the U.S. Open final for McNally, who partnered last year with Coco Gauff.

Siniakova will replace Gauff — who with partner Jessica Pegula lost in the first round at Flushing Meadows as the No. 2 seeds — at the top of the WTA doubles rankings. Krejcikova will climb to No. 2 and McNally will vault from No. 22 back into the top 10.

De Groot captures another wheelchair Grand Slam 

Diede de Groot captured her second straight wheelchair calendar-year Grand Slam, while Alfie Hewett stopped Shingo Kunieda from doing the same by winning the men’s title at the U.S. Open.

De Groot, the No. 1 seed from the Netherlands, rallied to beat No. 2 Yui Kamiji 3-6, 6-1, 6-1.

She won the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and U.S. Open wheelchair singles titles for the second straight year. She won a golden slam in 2021, adding the Paralympic gold medal to her victories in the majors.

Kunieda had won the first three Grand Slam titles this year, but the second-seeded Hewett beat the No. 1 seed from Japan 7-6 (2), 6-1.

Tournament raises $2M US for Ukraine

The 2022 U.S. Open raised $2 million US in crisis relief for Ukraine.

The U.S. Tennis Association said the fundraising started with the ” Tennis Plays for Peace ” exhibition the week before the tournament, featuring players such as women’s champion Iga Swiatek and Rafael Nadal, and continued with donations from corporate partners, fans and private donors.

The funds were donated to GlobalGiving’s Ukraine Crisis Relief Fund, which supports humanitarian assistance in impacted communities in Ukraine and surrounding regions where Ukrainian refugees have fled.