The fourth-round exits of Rafael Nadal and current world No. 1 Daniil Medvedev at the 2022 US Open opened the door for Carlos Alcaraz and Casper Ruud to claim the ATP Tour's No. 1 ranking.
The Spanish and Norwegian stars—seeded third and fifth, respectively—have powered through that opening by reaching Sunday's men's singles final. That high-stakes match will not only crown a first-time Grand Slam champion, but also a new world No. 1.
Both Alcaraz and Ruud are one win away from a stunning and historic debut atop the ATP rankings. Alcaraz, 19, would become the first teenager to claim the top spot in the history of the rankings. Ruud, 23, would become the first Norwegian to reach the pinnacle of men's tennis.
Enterting the quarterfinal stage, both men had a clear path to No. 1: win the title, or reach the final while the other does not. Ruud is happy to settle the score on the court.
"I think what's most fair is if we both reach the final and whoever wins the final reaches the world No. 1. That would be, I think, the ideal situation," he said after defeating Karen Khachanov in his semifinal.
At that point, Alcaraz had yet to take the court againt Frances Tiafoe. But the Norwegian would not have complained either way.
"If I go to bed as No. 1, I will sleep pretty damn well, I guess," he added, smiling.
Hours later, Alcaraz earned his third straight five-set victory against home favorite Tiafoe, the second semifinal finishing just before midnight. For the third time in a row, the Spaniard battled back from behind to keep his title hopes alive in New York. To say he earned his place in his first Grand Slam final would be a Big Apple-sized understatement.
"It's amazing to be able to fight for big things," Alcaraz said on-court, following his win. "First time in a final of a Grand Slam."
After a big exhale, he discussed the other opportunity in front of him.
"I can see the No. 1 in the world, but at the same time it's so far away," he told ESPN's Patrick McEnroe. "I have one more to go, but against a player who plays unbelievable. He deserves to play a final. He played the final of a Grand Slam at Roland Garros.
"This is my first time. I'm going to give everything that I have. I will have to handle the nerves of being in a final of a Grand Slam, but obviously I'm really, really happy."
While Alcaraz will be the favorite in the title match by seeding and ranking, Ruud, the current world No. 7, can lean on the experience of playing the Paris final in June. He came up against another Spaniard there in Nadal, but did not win a set in his first major final.
He's still expecting some nerves on Sunday.
"We're playing for the tournament and also world No. 1," Ruud said. "Of course, there will be nerves and we will both feel it. I hope it will be a good match. He has beaten me a couple times and I will seek my revenge."
Alcaraz leads their head-to-head, 2-0, behind a pair of straight-sets wins. Their most recent meeting also came in a big-stage final, as the teenager defeated Ruud to win his first ATP Masters 1000 title on the hard courts of Miami in April.
