Alcaraz-Ruud at US Open for 1st Slam title, No. 1 ranking

NEW YORK — Sometimes, it can be hard to remember while watching Carlos Alcaraz compete at the U.S. Open that he is just 19.

He’ll hit a behind-the-back shot from the baseline — stunning enough, in itself — then gather himself seconds later to sprint forward for a backhand passing winner at the perfect angle. He’ll get to an opponent’s drop shot, race back to retrieve the next ball by flicking it while turned away from the net, run forward to get another drop shot, then sprint back yet again to slide while somehow twisting his body for a down-the-line forehand winner — all within one point.

“I fight for every ball until it bounces twice or it’s a winner. Those points sometimes lift me up. They make me smile and I enjoy the moment,” the Spaniard said. “Every now and then, you need to create a bit of magic.”

The No. 3-seeded Alcaraz has been doing just that with regularity as he heads into a one-of-a-kind U.S. Open final on Sunday against No. 5-seeded Casper Ruud, a 23-year-old from Norway. There is so much at stake for both: This is the first Grand Slam final between two players eyeing both a first major championship and the ATP’s No. 1 ranking.

“Of course, there will be nerves,” Ruud said, “and we will both feel it.”

Ruud got a taste of this sort of stage in June, when he made it to the French Open final before losing to Rafael Nadal, a 14-time champion there.

“He obviously gave me a good beating,” said Ruud, who is coached by his father, former professional player Christian Ruud. “After the final, I said, ‘If I ever reach one again, I hope it is not Rafa on the other side of the court in Roland Garros, because it’s sort of an impossible task, I think, for any player.’ I’m happy that it’s not Rafa on clay.”

That makes sense, sure.

Still, taking on Alcaraz at the moment is no easy feat, either.

This will mark Alcaraz’s debut on the last day of a Slam. He is the youngest man in a final at Flushing Meadows since Pete Sampras won the 1990 U.S. Open at 19, and the youngest in any major title match since Nadal won the 2005 French Open at that age.

Those two guys turned out OK: Sampras retired with 14 Grand Slam trophies; Nadal has a men’s-record 22.

Alcaraz would be the youngest — there’s that word again — ATP No. 1 since the computerized rankings began in 1973. He has been showing signs of being an elite player as a teen, rising up the rankings, winning titles and compiling victories over Nadal and 21-time major champion Novak Djokovic in consecutive matches (on clay, no less).

“He’s one of the best players in the world, for sure. He’s so young. He hits the ball so hard. I never played a guy who moves as well as him, honestly. I’ve seen him get a lot of balls, but I was hitting some drop volleys … (and) he’s getting there. How he’s able to extend points? Incredible,” Frances Tiafoe said after losing to Alcaraz in the semifinals Friday night.

Iga Swiatek beats Ons Jabeur for 1st US Open title, 3rd Slam

NEW YORK (AP) — Good as she’s been this year, Iga Swiatek came to the U.S. Open unsure of what to expect.

She complained that women use different, slightly lighter, tennis balls than the men do at Flushing Meadows, where she’d never been past the fourth round. She was trying to grow accustomed to the noise and distractions, the hustle and bustle, of the Big Apple. And she arrived with a record of just 4-4 since her 37-match winning streak ended in July.

None of that matters now. Cementing her status as her sport’s new dominant figure by winning what is expected to be the last tournament of Serena Williams’ career, the No. 1-ranked Swiatek outplayed No. 5 Ons Jabeur 6-2, 7-6 (5) in Arthur Ashe Stadium on Saturday to claim her first championship at the U.S. Open and third Grand Slam title overall.

“It’s something that I wasn’t expecting, for sure. It’s also like a confirmation for me that the sky’s the limit,” said Swiatek, who is 55-7 in tour-level matches with seven trophies in 2022, both best in the WTA. “I’m proud. Also surprised little bit.”

She acknowledged harboring concerns about the U.S. Open after a couple of shaky showings at hard-court tune-up tournaments.

It turned out OK: She is the first top-seeded woman to win the U.S. Open since 23-time major champion Williams in 2014.

“I feel like on court, I can just do my job,” Swiatek said, “and I’m happy about it, that I kind of can make these doubts go away.”

Swiatek, like Jabeur, travels with a sports psychologist, and it took some fortitude to finish this one off. At 6-5 in the second set, Swiatek held her first championship point. Right before Jabeur served, Swiatek jogged over to the sideline to change rackets — an unusual choice at that moment.

When action resumed, Swiatek missed a backhand. That could have been tough to recover from. Indeed, Jabeur pushed things to the tiebreaker, which she then led 5-4. But Swiatek steeled herself, took the last three points and soon was accepting the silver trophy and a $2.6 million winner’s check, joking: “I’m really glad that is not in cash.”

The 21-year-old from Poland won the French Open for the second time in June and is the first woman since Angelique Kerber in 2016 to collect two major titles in a single season.

“She’s really set the bar very high. It’s great for our sport,” said Jabeur, a 28-year-old from Tunisia who will rise to No. 2 in the rankings on Monday.

She is the first African woman and first Arab woman to reach a Grand Slam final and was participating in her second in a row.

But she is 0-2 at that stage, including a runner-up showing at Wimbledon in July.

“Definitely, I’m not someone that’s going to give up,” said Jabeur, whose support team wore black shirts with white writing that read “Yalla Habibi,” Arabic for “Let’s go, my love!”

“I am sure,” she added, “I’m going to be in the final again.”

Didn’t help on this sunny, 85-degree Fahrenheit (29.4 Celsius) afternoon that Jabeur needed to deal with Swiatek, who has won her past 10 finals — all in straight sets — and was great from the get-go.

Jabeur did not face a single break point in her semifinal victory, but she got broken right away when Swiatek laced a cross-court backhand winner off a short ball to cap a 15-stroke exchange.

“The only match here where I started that well,” said Swiatek, who had to come back from a set down in the fourth round and the quarterfinals.

Eight minutes in against Jabeur, Swiatek had grabbed 12 of the first 14 points for a 3-0 edge.

“Put a lot of pressure on me,” Jabeur said.

Using her heavy topspin forehand to take charge from the baseline, Swiatek dictated the tempo and trajectory of points. She ran her opponent this way and that, never letting Jabeur use the sorts of spins and variety that she’s accustomed to.

When Jabeur did show off some of what she can do, Swiatek would manage, more often than not, to elongate points. She used her strong court coverage, backed by a soundtrack of squeaky sneakers as she darted everywhere, sometimes even sliding as she arrived at a ball, the way one does on red clay, her favorite surface.

When Jabeur missed a slice forehand early in the second set, she dropped her racket to reflect her despair. A few points later, she flung her racket while off balance and falling face down. A running, down-the-line backhand passing shot from Swiatek on the next point made it 2-0 in that set. Swiatek raised a clenched fist and yelled, “Come on!”

Then Jabeur did make things interesting, briefly.

But only briefly.

She got to 4-all and, after ending up on her back when an off-balance backhand won a point in the next game, she stayed there, enjoying the moment, pumping her fists while laying on the ground.

Jabeur earned three break chances in that game, any one of which would have allowed her to serve for the set. She could not cash in there, though, missing a groundstroke on each.

Swiatek needed to wait 10 minutes from her first match point to the one that closed the contest, but close it she did. Maybe she’ll feel more comfortable at the U.S. Open from now on.