Spanish teenager Alcaraz wins US Open, becomes world number one

Spanish teenager, Carlos Alcaraz, on Sunday, completed his rapid rise to the top of the tennis world, claiming his first Grand Slam title and taking the number one ranking with a 6-4 2-6 7-6(1) 6-3 win over Norway’s Casper Ruud in the U.S. Open final.

19-year-old Alcaraz fell to his back and cupped his hands to his face before jumping up to embrace Ruud at the net.

He then climbed past photographers and into the stands to celebrate in his box with his team.

“This is something I dreamed of since I was a kid, to be number one in the world, to be the champion at a Grand Slam.

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“All the hard work that I did with my team, with my family. I’m just 19 years old so all of the tough decisions are with my parents and my team as well.

“This is something that is really, really special for me,” Alcaraz said in an on-court interview.

Alcaraz, who thrilled fans over the two-week tournament in New York with his acrobatic shotmaking, replaced Russian Daniil Medvedev at the top of the rankings.

He is the youngest world number one since the ATP rankings began in 1973, breaking the mark set by Lleyton Hewitt, who was 20 when he became number one in 2001.

The Star