Rafael Nadal’s fourth round exit from the US Open has opened the door for two players to claim the No.1 ranking for the first time in their careers.
Spanish teenager Carlos Alcaraz is in with a shot of achieving the milestone which would complete what has been a truly remarkable year for the 19-year-old who started 2022 yet to break the world’s top 30. In recent months, he has won four Tour titles, including Master 1000 events in Madrid and Miami.
At the US Open Alcaraz sealed a place in the quarter-finals after coming through a marathon match against Marin Cilic which didn’t conclude until 2:24 am. Making it the fourth-latest match to ever finish at the Grand Slam. The world No.3 prevailed 6-4, 3-6, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, to become the youngest man in the Open Era to have reached back-to-back US Open quarter-finals.
“Honestly, I have no idea,” Alcaraz replied when asked how he won the match. “It was pretty, pretty tough at the beginning of the fifth set [being a] break down. But Marin was playing unbelievable. I believe in myself all the time. Of course the support today in Arthur Ashe [Stadium] was crazy. Without you guys, it wouldn’t be possible to win this match tonight, so thank you very much for the support tonight, thank you.
“I would say 100 per cent of the energy I put in the fifth set was thanks to you. It was unbelievable.”
Also in contention claiming the No.1 position is Norway’s Casper Ruud who would become the first Scandinavian man to do so since Sweden’s Stefan Edberg in 1992. Ruud will play his quarter-final match in New York on Tuesday against Matteo Berrettini. So far at the tournament he has dropped at least one set in three out of his four previous rounds.
”It has been a dream of mine to play on this court at least one time in my career,” Ruud said when asked about competing at Arthur Ashe Stadium for the first time on Sunday. “Now I have a win here as well, so I can tell my future kids and grandkids that I played here and that will be a fun story to tell. It was amazing.”
For Alcaraz or Ruud to claim the No.1 sport, a couple of scenarios must happen. On the opposite sides of the draw, one of them will claim the top spot if they reach the final and the other doesn’t. Should they both reach the final, the winner will top the standings, as well as win their first Grand Slam title.
If none of these scenarios happen, Nadal will return to No.1 on Monday for the 210th week in his career.
The race to No.1 in points
NADAL (out of US Open):
- R4 loss: 5810 points
ALCARAZ (still in draw)
- Reach QF: 5100 points
- Reach SF: 5460 points
- Runner-up: 5940 points
- Champion: 6740 points
RUUD (still in draw)
- Reach QF: 5010 points
- Reach SF: 5370 points
- Runner-up: 5850 points
- Champion: 6650 points
