History was made at the US Open on Sunday, when Carlos Alcaraz defeated Casper Ruud to earn his first Grand Slam title and secure the No. 1 Pepperstone ATP Ranking. Beaten finalist Ruud has also made a big jump following the run to his second major final, while Frances Tiafoe has cracked the Top 20 after reaching the semi-finals.

ATPTour.com looks at the movers of the week, as of Monday, 12 September.

No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz, +3 (Career High)
The 19-year-old has made history following his title run at the US Open, becoming the youngest World No. 1 in the history of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. Alcaraz, who saved one match point against Jannik Sinner en route to his maiden major title, is the fourth Spanish man to climb to the top of the sport, while he is the youngest Grand Slam champion since Rafael Nadal, 19, triumphed at Roland Garros in 2005. With the pressure on, Alcaraz overcame Ruud in four hard-fought sets on Arthur Ashe Stadium to earn his sixth tour-level title. Read US Open Final Report.

View Latest Pepperstone ATP Rankings

No. 2 Casper Ruud, +5 (Career High)
The Norwegian has soared five spots to No. 2 after he reached his second Grand Slam championship match at the US Open. The 23-year-old, who had never been beyond the third round in four previous appearances in New York, rallied past seeds Tommy Paul, Matteo Berrettini and Karen Khachanov in a standout run. The nine-time tour-level titlist now holds a 44-16 record on the season.

No. 18 Karen Khachanov, +13
The 26-year-old has jumped 13 spots after he reached his first Grand Slam semi-final at Flushing Meadows. Khachanov arrived in New York off the back of a first-round exit in Cincinnati, but quickly found his range on the US Open hard courts, earning impressive wins against Montreal champion Pablo Carreno Busta and Washington titlist Nick Kyrgios.

No. 19 Frances Tiafoe, +7 (Career High)
The American has soared to career-high No. 19 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings following his dream run to the semi-finals on home soil in New York. The 24-year-old played lights-out tennis to advance to his first major semi-final, defeating Rafael Nadal en route. Alcaraz eventually stopped Tiafoe in a five-set thriller under the lights on Arthur Ashe stadium.

Other Notable Top 100 Movers
No. 8 Cameron Norrie, +1 (Career High)
No. 9 Andrey Rublev, +2
No. 11 Jannik Sinner, +2
No. 20 Nick Kyrgios, +5
No. 26 Borna Coric, +3
No. 28 Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, +11
No. 29 Tommy Paul, +5 (Career High)
No. 43 Andy Murray, +8
No. 46 Jack Draper, +7 (Career High)
No. 61 Ilya Ivashka, +12
No. 70 James Duckworth, +13
No. 72 J.J. Wolf, +15 (Career High)
No. 75 Daniel Elahi Galan, +19 (Career High)
No. 84 Corentin Moutet, +28
No. 95 Hugo Grenier, +24 (Career High)

Juan Carlos Ferrero was unable to hide his emotion, even a few hours after Carlos Alcaraz’s US Open triumph. For the coach to the new No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings it was incredibly tense having to watch from the stands, but he was able to breathe again when he saw his understudy hoist the trophy to the New York sky on Arthur Ashe Stadium

“All the time he spent on court affected his game, but, as he said, there is no time to be tired in a final,” Ferrero said. “I kept telling him to go after the match, not to have the feeling that he wasn’t playing at his level.

“Carlos was born to play tournaments and matches like these. From the first moment, I saw things in him that were different to those of other boys his age and I still see them now. Even if he’s in his first final, he’s a great competitor, we saw it against Cilic, Sinner and Tiafoe.”

At 19 years of age, Alcaraz has become a Grand Slam champion and the youngest World No. 1 in the history of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings (since 1973). Ferrero, though, is not surprised.

“It’s happening very quickly, it’s a surprise to everyone, except to me, because I train with him every day and I know what he can do,” admitted the coach. “I was sure that if it wasn’t this year, it would be the next. Now we want to keep going.”

Specifically, Ferrero has vivid memories of his first encounter with Alcaraz, and of the player that came to the Equelite Sport Academy many years ago.

“I saw him at 12 or 13,” said the Valencian. “He came to the academy, we trained one day, he was very small, but everyone was talking about him. He had everything he has now, but in miniature. Officially, I saw him when he got his first ATP point at 14 years of age, then you could see how he competed.

“When he arrived at the academy at 15, he was a stick, he was fast but didn’t have any muscles,” said Ferrero. “Even so, we saw something very special.”

Now, of course, it is a different Alcaraz. A major champion and World number 1. Just how far can he go?

“I think he’s at 60 per cent of his game, he can improve a lot of things, we know that he has to keep going,” said Ferrero. “Now he’s No. 1 he has to keep winning, we know that and I’ll remind him of it.

“He has to improve his return, and his serve, his backhand in certain situations, consistency, trying to keep his head… They are little details that all players have to improve on up until they retire.”

The mentor to the US Open champion knows that comparisons with Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer are not a good idea.

“It will be difficult to do what they have done in tennis. We’re talking about 22 majors, it’s a long road, but who knows…,” Ferrero said. “He has all the potential to be one of the best, all he can do is try to achieve it.”

The question now is obvious; will Alcaraz change having tasted glory?

“Having played and had significant experiences has helped me be able to manage him pretty directly,” Ferrero said. “There’s no second personality, he is what he seems to be. He’s a very straightforward, humble kid, we have to work to keep him that way. He has an amazing family that helps him keep his feet on the ground.”

#NextGenATP American Brandon Nakashima tasted success on the hard courts at the US Open last week, overcoming Pavel Kotov and Grigor Dimitrov in straight sets before Jannik Sinner ended his run at the third-round stage in New York.

The 21-year-old’s aggressive performances have strengthened his chances of qualifying for the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals for a second consecutive year, with the American consolidating his position in seventh in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Milan.

Nakashima, who reached the semi-finals at the 21-and-under event last season, will look to climb further when he competes on home soil in San Diego next week.

View Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Milan Rankings

Briton Jack Draper has further strengthened his position in fifth after soaring to the third round on debut in New York. The 20-year-old, who has won four ATP Challenger Tour titles this season, overpowered Felix Auger-Aliassime under the lights at the US Open to earn his second Top 10 win. The lefty clinched his maiden Top 10 win against Stefanos Tsitsipas en route to the quarter-finals in Montreal last month.

Italian Francesco Passaro’s standout season on the ATP Challenger Tour went from strength to strength at the start of September when he advanced to the final in Como, Italy. The 21-year-old, who holds a 28-11 record on the Challenger Tour this season, is aiming to make his debut on home soil at the indoor event in Milan, taking place from 8-12 November.

The teenage years can be tough. Just ask any 19-year-old.

But when you’re also carrying the expectation of being the new face of tennis, life can feel overwhelming.

Carlos Alcaraz arrived for the North American hard-court swing as World No. 4 and with a shot at becoming the 28th player to reach No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. But an opening round-loss in Montreal to Tommy Paul – when he candidly said the pressure got to him – and a quarter-final loss to Cameron Norrie in Cincinnati, led to worry and self-doubt.

Heading into the year’s final major, coach Juan Carlos Ferrero suspected that Alcaraz had “lost a little bit of happiness on the court,” and that he was worrying about the big picture instead of the next match in front of him. Arriving in New York for the US Open, Ferrero gave his charge license to loosen up, get to net and go on the attack.

“I lost the joy a little bit. I felt the pressure,” Alcaraz said. “I couldn’t smile on court, which I’m doing in every match, every tournament.

“I came here just to enjoy, you know? To smile on court, to enjoy playing tennis. I love playing tennis, of course. I would say if I smile, if I have fun out there, I saw my best level, my best tennis.”

After simultaneously winning the US Open and becoming the youngest No. 1 in the history of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, Alcaraz will leave New York after Monday’s media tour of Manhattan with his usual, wide grin. Life is good and perhaps about to get even better as he looks ahead to additional, big goals.

He is set to make his debut at the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin from 13-20 November, where he hopes to be crowned as the youngest ever year-end World No. 1.

But he may take a little time first to reflect on his history-making fortnight in New York.

“I overcame myself a little bit. I played a great matches, high intensity, during the two weeks that I’ve never done before,” he said. “I just can say that I’m really happy to move on to be No. 1 of the world, still growing. I’m so, so happy.

“I never thought that I was going to achieve something like that at 19 years old. Everything has come so fast. For me it’s unbelievable. It’s something I dream since I was a kid, since I start playing tennis.”

“But, of course, I’m hungry for more. I want to be in the top for many, many weeks. Hope many years. I’m going to work hard again after this week, this amazing two weeks. I’m going to fight for have more of this.”

VAMOS! pic.twitter.com/ACEnmMTiix

— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 12, 2022

Alcaraz was ranked just 55 when he made his main-draw debut at the US Open last year. He stunned Stefanos Tsitsipas en route to the quarter-finals, but a second-set retirement against Felix Auger-Aliassime left the Spaniard thinking he was not yet battle-tested to win a Slam.

This year, he won three consecutive five-set matches just to reach the final.

His quest to win majors went from dream to goal after he won his first ATP Masters 1000 title in March in Miami, where coincidentally, he also defeated Ruud in the final.

“Since I won Miami, I thought I was able to have a Grand Slam in my hands. Before Miami, I was thinking that I have to still grow up. I thought that I’m able to have good results in a Grand Slam, but not be a champion.”

Carlos Alcaraz’s unsung hero in his US Open final win over Casper Ruud was his run-around forehand.

Alcaraz defeated Casper Ruud 6-4, 2-6, 7-6(1), 6-3 in the US Open final on Sunday, due in large part to him hitting a slew of run-around forehands standing in the Ad court to counter the Norwegian’s full-court press towards his backhand. Ruud played a tactically savvy final by flattening out his high, heavy groundstrokes and ripping them repeatedly at Alcaraz’s backhand wing. It almost worked. Ruud won a higher percentage of baseline points: 45 per cent (64/141) to Alcaraz’s 43 per cent (59/136).

Alcaraz’s tenacity to upgrade to forehands standing in the Ad court saw him turn 97 groundstrokes from backhands into forehands. In a match decided by only five points (127-122), this specific battle was as important as any other to Alcaraz in capturing his first Grand Slam title.

Alcaraz Groundstrokes (excluding returns, volleys & overheads)

• Forehands = 61% (195)
• Backhands = 39% (125)
• Total = 320

On the surface, Alcaraz hit many more forehands than backhands. But once you examine where Alcaraz was standing when he hit them, you get a better idea of a hidden layer of his successful match strategy.

Alcaraz Forehand Groundstrokes

• Run-Around Forehands = 97 (standing in the Ad court)
• Normal Forehands = 98 (standing in the Deuce court)

Ruud made Alcaraz hit 125 backhands, and if Ruud had his way, the 97 run-around forehands would also have been Alcaraz backhands. If that were the case, Ruud would surely have secured both hands on the silver trophy. Ruud basically threw the kitchen sink at Alcaraz’s backhand through the Ad court.

Alcaraz Total Groundstrokes

• Struck standing in the Ad court = 69% (222)
• Struck standing in the Deuce court = 31% (98)
• Total = 320

Alcaraz’s run-around forehand was solid in the opening two sets, with six errors and one winner from 40 shots. It stood tall in the final two sets with six errors and eight winners from 57 shots. In fact, Alcaraz made his last six run-around forehands in the third set and 16 straight in the fourth set before finally missing one. His run-around forehand was the rock he desperately needed to close out the match. Alcaraz hit 125 backhands for the match, committing 21 backhand errors while capturing five winners. The run-around forehand gave the overheating backhand much-needed relief.

Alcaraz At Net

The net was also a safe haven for the 19-year-old Spaniard to deflect the fight to another part of the court. Alcaraz won 71 per cent (15/21) serving and volleying and an extremely solid 76 per cent (34/45) coming forward overall. His willingness to come forward to finish points makes him a dangerous multi-dimensional opponent with so many places on the court to beat you.

Rally Length

The average rally length for the final was a crisp 4.1 shots, with almost two out of three points (65%) played in the 0-4 shot rally length.

Rally Length Played

• 0-4 Shots = 65%
• 5-8 Shots = 23%
• 9+ Shots = 12%

Alcaraz forged a small but significant advantage in the shortest two rally lengths, accounting for 88 per cent of total points. He lost the long rallies 16-13, but it didn’t hurt him because it only accounted for 12 per cent of total points.

Rally Length Won/Lost

• 0-4 Shots = Alcaraz 84/Ruud 79
• 5-8 Shots = Alcaraz 30/Ruud 27
• 9+ Shots = Alcaraz 13/Ruud 16

It was a very close final with history on the line. Upgrading 97 backhands to forehands could very well have been the centerpiece.

When the music stopped on Arthur Ashe Stadium Sunday night, there was only one chair for a new World No. 1: Carlos Alcaraz.

But being No. 2 isn’t bad.

Tempering the disappointment of coming up short in his second Grand Slam final of the year, Norway’s Casper Ruud said that he would also leave New York with plenty to be proud of, not least his new career-high mark in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.

“I think it’s deserving that after great results, both of us having good results throughout the year, we are 1 and 2 in the rankings tomorrow,” the 23-year-old said. “I’m very proud of being No. 2. In a way it’s a good thing because I can still chase the last spot.

“I’m proud of the match and the two weeks. I gave it my all. I left it all out on the court. Played some phenomenal tennis throughout the two weeks, probably my best tennis ever on this surface.”

The Oslo native, who was competing in his second major final after losing to Nadal at Roland Garros in June, captured his 44th tour-level win of the season when he downed Karen Khachanov in the semi-finals.

 After a strong season, including ATP 250 titles in Buenos Aires, Geneva and Gstaad, the Norwegian is a virtual lock to make a second consecutive appearance at the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin (13-20 November), where he will hope to get a chance to avenge his defeat to Alcaraz, who likely will be one of his chief rivals for the next decade.

1 & 2 pic.twitter.com/dWvrrzbcNu

— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 12, 2022

“He’s one of these few rare talents that comes up every now and then in sports… He has shown incredible fighting spirit and will to win. He was down a match point a couple matches ago and was able to turn around and end up winning the tournament…

“He’s riding that wave. At the moment he’s the best player in the world in my eyes. He deserves that spot. I’m happy that we played each other in the final and that we played for the title and the world No. 1 spot.

“His movement is one of his many weapons, of course. It makes us other players feel like you need to paint the lines sort of to be able to hit a winner. Sometimes even that’s not enough.

“He’s very fast. He’s very quick. He’s a great mover. He can get to balls that we’ve probably never seen before.”

Sunday’s final was the second-youngest US Open men’s singles final (Sampras-Agassi in 1990) and the youngest Grand Slam men’s singles final in more than 20 years (Hewitt-Nalbandian 2002 Wimbledon). And New York fans weren’t shy in showing their appreciation for the quality of play during the entertaining final and their delight in seeing the game’s fresh young stars take centre stage.

“It was a lot of fun, exchanges and rallies. I was able to win a couple of those,” said Ruud, who is coached by his father and former pro Christian Ruud. “It was better atmosphere. I think also hopefully a more fun match to watch for the crowd.

“The crowd there in New York have been amazing. They treat all the players well. Even though I lost, I still felt like a champion during these two weeks. Still do in a way.”

Carlos Alcaraz made history on Sunday evening when he battled past Casper Ruud in four sets to win the US Open for his first Grand Slam title. The 19-year-old also became the youngest-ever World No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings (since 1973).

After the Spaniard clinched his triumph at Flushing Meadows, several stars congratulated him, including Rafael Nadal, Rod Laver, Billie Jean King and more.

Felicidades @carlosalcaraz por tu primer Grand Slam y por el número 1 que es el colofón a tu primera gran temporada que estoy seguro serán muchas más! 👏🏻
Great effort @CasperRuud98 !very proud of you! Tough luck today but amazing tournament and season! Keep going!

— Rafa Nadal (@RafaelNadal) September 11, 2022

Congratulations Carlos Alcaraz and Casper Ruud on an exceptional US Open men’s final. Two great sportsmen with many more battles to come. #USOpen2022

— Rod Laver (@rodlaver) September 12, 2022

What a great final from both!

— Stefanos Tsitsipas (@steftsitsipas) September 11, 2022

Congratulations to @carlosalcaraz, the youngest #USOpen champion since Pete Sampras!

(Photo from 2021). pic.twitter.com/2dezvJvtws

— Billie Jean King (@BillieJeanKing) September 11, 2022

Congrats @carlosalcaraz on becoming No 1 and winning your 1st Major. Your power, foot speed, mentality, weapons, physicality are incredible! Just the beginning!!👏🔥💪🏆🇺🇸@usopen

— Tracy Austin (@thetracyaustin) September 11, 2022

the legend of escape from Alcaraz @carlosalcaraz amazing 🤩 effort taking out Ruud awakening for his 1st slam @usopen 🏆

— Brad Gilbert (@bgtennisnation) September 11, 2022

BRUTAAAAL @carlosalcaraz!!! Enhorabuena por conseguir tu primer Grand Slam con el #USOpen y por convertirte en el tenista más joven de la historia en conseguir el #1 de la ATP!!! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 pic.twitter.com/e0fP9h5azx

— Pau Gasol (@paugasol) September 11, 2022