The Carlos Alcaraz era begins, wins US Open

Carlos Alcaraz overcame Casper Ruud 6-4, 2-6, 7-6, 6-3 to clinch the US Open, his first Grand Slam trophy.

In the process, he also secured the No. 1 Pepperstone ATP Ranking.

What is truly astounding is, Alcaraz is the youngest World No. 1 ever, at 19 years, 4 months.

Alcaraz won three consecutive five-set matches, against Martin Cilic, Jannik Sinner and Francis Tiafoe to reach his first Grand Slam final.

Overall, he spent 23 hours and 39 minutes on court during the fortnight, surpassing Kevin Anderson at Wimbledon in 2018 for most time played at a single Grand Slam tournament.

Despite this, he showed little sign of tiredness against Ruud.

The Spaniard was a man on a mission as he hit with explosive power.

However, his touch at the net was also sublime as he won 34/45 (76 per cent) of net points  against his Norwegian opponent..

An emotional Alcaraz dropped to the floor following his historic victory as he received roars of support from the New York crowd.

He then climbed up to his player box to embrace his team, including coach Juan Carlos Ferrero.

“It is something I have dreamt of since I was a kid. To be No. 1 in the world, to be champion of a Grand Slam, is something I have worked really, really hard [for].” Alcaraz said during the trophy ceremony.

“It is tough to talk right now, I have lots of emotions. This is something I have tried to achieve. All the hard work I have done with my team and my family.”

“I am just 19 years old, all the tough decisions have been with my parents and my team as well. It is something that is really special for me.”

Youngest World No. 1s in world tennis