Teenage sensation Carlos Alcaraz Garfia became the youngest man to reach a Grand Slam final since Rafael Nadal in 2005 as he dispatched Frances Tiafoe in five sets to reach the 2022 US Open final. The 19-year-old reached the first Grand Slam final of his career.
Having come through the preceding rounds unscathed, third seed Alcaraz had the chance to become the world number one, but first, he had to face an in-form Tiafoe in front of a partisan crowd in New York. The teenager lost a closely contested opening set before storming back to win the next two sets and ultimately ending the match with a 6-7 6-3 6-1 6-7 6-3 win to progress to his first Grand Slam final.
In the other semifinal, fifth seed Casper Ruud made light work of Karen Khachanov to qualify for the final of the 2022 US Open. The 23-year-old Norwegian star reached his second Grand Slam final of 2022 after also reaching the French Open final.
Ruud defeated his Russian opponent 7-6 6-2 5-7 6-2 to qualify for the final at Flushing Meadows and earn a shot at becoming the first Norwegian man to reach the top of the men’s tennis rankings.
Ruud will do battle with Alcaraz for the US Open crown with the world number one ranking also on the line. If the Spaniard wins the match, he will become the youngest man ever and first teenager to be ranked #1 in tennis.
In the women’s draw, World number one Iga Swiatek booked her place in the 2022 US Open final after a victory over Aryna Sabalenka in three sets. The 21-year-old Pole won the match 3-6 6-1 6-4 to overcome her Belarusian opponent.
In the second semifinal, Ons Jabeur made light work of Frenchwoman Caroline Garcia in straight sets to book a date with Swiatek in Saturday’s final. The Tunisian star claimed a 6-1 6-3 win over Garcia to ensure that she finishes the year as the #2 ranked player in the world.
