Carlos Alcaraz continues his historic run at the US Open…
In another five-set match, the 19-year-old Spanish professional tennis player defeated Frances Tiafoe on Friday night, 6-7 (6), 6-3, 6-1, 6-7 (5), 6-3, to move through to the first Grand Slam final of his career.
With the win, Alcaraz has become only the second teenager in the entire Open Era to reach the men’s final at Flushing Meadows.
Alcaraz had previously registered back-to-back five-set victories in his last two rounds against Marin Cilic and Jannik Sinner—two of the five latest finishes in the tournament’s history.
YOUNGEST US OPEN MEN’S FINALISTS IN THE OPEN ERA:
- 19 years, 1 month: Pete Sampras (1990 champion)
- 19 years, 4 months: Carlos Alcaraz (2022, result TBD)
- 20 years, 3 months: Bjorn Borg (1976 runner-up)
- 20 years, 4 months: Novak Djokovic (2007 runner-up)
- 20 years, 5 months: Andre Agassi (1990 runner-up)
Having reached the quarterfinals in his US Open debut last year, Alcaraz is also just the fourth man in the Open Era to reach the final in their second appearance at the US Open, joining Tom Okker in 1968, Jan Kodes in 1971 and Miloslav Mecir in 1986—all of whom finished runner-up. No man has ever reached the final in their debut appearance.
Alcaraz, whose win over Tiafoe was his ATP-leading 50th win of the year, is now guaranteed to rise to either No. 1 or No. 2 on the ATP rankings after the tournament.
If he defeats Casper Ruud in the final, he’ll be No. 1 and Ruud No. 2; if Ruud beats him in the final, the Norwegian will be No. 1 and the Spaniard No. 2.