Carlos Alcaraz snatched the world number one spot from Jannik Sinner on Sunday night after winning his second US Open title.
The new world number one was in scintillating form throughout the match, matching his Italian opponent step for step.
Ultimately, Sinner could not keep up with a rampant Alcaraz, and the Spaniard eventually closed out the contest 6-2 3-6 6-1 6-4.
At just 22 years old, Alcaraz has now won six Grand Slam singles titles, equalling the career totals of both Boris Becker and Stefan Edberg.
Alcaraz’s victory in the Arthur Ashe Stadium also saw him join an exclusive list alongside two American tennis legends.
Carlos Alcaraz becomes the third player in the Open Era to win multiple Men’s Singles titles at the US Open before turning 23
It has become almost commonplace for Carlos Alcaraz to break tennis records with every passing tournament.
The fact remains: if the Spaniard can reproduce Sunday’s performance on a more consistent basis, he will take some stopping in the coming months and years.
The records speak for themselves, and it is no coincidence that they keep on tumbling before Alcaraz.
As per OptaAce, Carlos Alcaraz has become just the third player in the Open Era to win multiple Men’s Singles titles at the US Open before turning 23, after John McEnroe and Pete Sampras.
McEnroe won three US Open titles before turning 23: in 1979, 1980 and 1981. Meanwhile, Sampras – a 14-time major winner – won two US Open Men’s Singles titles before the age of 23: in 1991 and 1993.
Alcaraz’s victory in New York was deserved in every respect, as is his new title of world number one.
After avenging his Wimbledon final loss, Alcaraz will look ahead to the Australian Open, where he could complete the career Grand Slam.
How has Carlos Alcaraz returned to world number one?
It has been almost two years to the day since Carlos Alcaraz sat atop the ATP rankings.
On September 10, 2023, Alcaraz relinquished his number one spot to Jannik Sinner. However, with victory on Sunday, he returned to the top spot and now looks set to close in on the year-end world number one title.
As Jannik Sinner won the US Open title in 2024, he was guaranteed to lose points unless he repeated the feat.
Therefore, Sinner lost 700 ATP points on Sunday, bringing his total down to 10,780. Meanwhile, Alcaraz gained 1,950 points because he lost in the third round of last year’s tournament.
Alcaraz now sits on 11,540 points, 760 ahead of Sinner.
