The battle for No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings at the US Open is down to two players: Casper Ruud and Carlos Alcaraz.

When Ruud defeated Karen Khachanov in the US Open semi-finals, he eliminated Rafael Nadal from contention. If Alcaraz loses to Frances Tiafoe in tonight’s second semi-final, Ruud will become the first Norwegian World No. 1 in Pepperstone ATP Rankings on Monday.

If Alcaraz reaches the championship match, Sunday’s final between the Spaniard and Ruud will be for a Grand Slam trophy and World No. 1.

Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings Round By Round

Ruud, who entered the tournament as World No. 7, is currently No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings.

Alcaraz is trying to become the youngest No. 1 in Pepperstone ATP Rankings history. The 19-year-old can break the mark set by Lleyton Hewitt, who was 20 when he became World No. 1 in 2001.

Casper Ruud moved past Karen Khachanov 7-6(5), 6-2, 5-7, 6-2 at the US Open on Friday to reach his second Grand Slam final, further boosting his chances of rising to No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.

The Norwegian soaked up the 27th seed’s powerful hitting while he won an epic 55-shot rally to win the first set. The fifth seed played with great intensity throughout the three-hour clash as he forced the 26-year-old into errors to move to within one win of capturing his maiden major title.

Ruud, who lost to Rafael Nadal in the Roland Garros final in June, will face #NextGenATP Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz or American Frances Tiafoe in the championship match. Should the fifth seed triumph in New York, he will become the first Norwegian to rise to World No. 1 on Monday. He will also climb to top spot if Tiafoe eliminates two-time ATP Masters 1000 champion Alcaraz in tonight’s semi-final. By reaching the final, Ruud ended Rafael Nadal’s hopes of returning to World No. 1 Monday.

“This match today was another great match from my side,” Ruud said in his on-court interview. “I think we were both a bit nervous at the beginning, a few breaks back and forth. But you have to take into account that this match is probably the biggest in both of our careers. Of course there will also be some nerves but I was fortunate to win that first set, which calmed my nerves a little bit.

“I played phenomenal in the second and Karen stepped up in the third. It was back and forth like every five-setter is, but I am just so happy. After Roland Garros I was extremely happy but of course humble enough to think that could be my only final at a Grand Slam in my career. It doesn’t come easy, but here I am back again a couple [of] months later.”

The 23-year-old had never been beyond the third round in four previous appearances in New York. However, he has looked at home on the North American hard courts this fortnight, eliminating seeds Tommy Paul and Matteo Berrettini en route to the semi-finals.

In a confident display against Khachanov, the Norwegian demonstrated great movement to fend off danger. He also caused damage from his own racquet, opening his shoulders in the second and fourth sets to improve to 2-0 in their ATP Head2Head series.

Ruud has drawn level with Cameron Norrie on 44 tour-level wins this season. Only Alcaraz (49) and Stefanos Tsitsipas (46) have earned more. The nine-time tour-level titlist has lifted trophies in Buenos Aires, Geneva and Gstaad in 2022, while he advanced to the final in Miami.

Both showed signs of nerves in a tight first set as the size of the occasion seemed to get to them. Four breaks were exchanged in the opening eight games, before they started to find great control and rhythm on serve. With a tie-break needed to decide the opener, it was Ruud who clinched the set in style.

Serving at 6/5, the Norwegian outlasted Khachanov in a high-quality 55-shot rally. Ruud locked down off both wings and then fired a backhand down the line that the 27th seed could only push into the net. The 23-year-old raised his arms aloft and embraced the New York roar as he walked back to his chair.

With the first set under his belt, Ruud looked more relaxed during the second set and started to hurt Khachanov off the ground. The Norwegian struck 12 winners and committed just two unforced errors in the set to move further clear.

However, Khachanov refused to go away and was strong on serve in the third set, winning 85 per cent (17/20) of points behind his first delivery. He then returned with great depth in the 12th game to secure a foothold in the match. Ruud was not to be denied, though. He struck a stunning forehand winner down the line to break for 2-1 and then held his nerve on serve to advance.

Casper Ruud completes the road to the #USOpen final.

See you Sunday, @CasperRuud98. pic.twitter.com/GWd8LbHMuk

— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 9, 2022

The 27th seed Khachanov was competing in his first major semi-final, having clawed past Montreal Champion Pablo Carreno Busta and Washington champion Nick Kyrgios in five sets in his past two matches. Despite falling to Ruud, the four-time tour-level titlist is up to No. 18 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings following his run at the hard-court event.

Did You Know?
Ruud will qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals if he wins the title on Sunday. The Norwegian, who reached the semi-finals at the end-of-year event in 2021, would become the third singles player to qualify, joining Nadal and Alcaraz.

Carlos Alcaraz had a day of recovery away from Flushing Meadows on Thursday ahead of his semi-final clash against Frances Tiafoe at the US Open. The Spaniard, who defeated Jannik Sinner in five sets, saving a match point during an epic, five-hour, 15-minute encounter, spent the day with his team and family, eating, resting and recovering from battle.

“Today, we decided not to practise any tennis so that he can rest, above all his muscular system,” explained Juan Carlos Ferrero, the coach of the 19-year-old. “He was feeling the effects this morning, tired, but nothing serious.”

Alcaraz’s mentor must surely have also been tired after going through the roller-coaster of emotions from the stands of the Arthur Ashe stadium?

“On Wednesday, we went through a lot of stress, but we’re really excited,” said Ferrero. “It was a tremendous match, sublime, from both of them. Watching previous matches with him, I knew it would be very difficult and would be decided by the fine details.

“It’s true that a lot of things happened later. Carlos could have taken the match in three sets, but we found ourselves two-sets-to-one down. It was getting very difficult to come back. Carlos outdid himself mentally. He had some very tough moments during the fourth and fifth, but he handled them perfectly.

“It’s one of the best matches I’ve seen, because of the constant intensity and the difficulty of the opponent. They fed off each other and forced each other to improve. They are going to be two of the biggest players in the next 10 years, with due respect to those that are there. They’re at a very, very high level. There are other players that are close, but I think they will be the two dominant players on Tour in the future. He [Alcaraz] is a ferocious competitor. He competes to the end of every match. When it finished, I told him I was very proud of how he handled it.”

At the end of the second set in the match, Alcaraz conjured up a stunning shot, hitting the ball behind his back from the baseline before winning the point with a backhand pass.

“It was an amazing shot,” said Ferrero. “I’ve enjoyed how he plays since he started with me. I know that he will have those moments of genius. I always give him free rein to be creative, not a robot. Those things come naturally to him.”

However, Ferrero also acknowledged that they practise those challenging shots. “We call it Hot Shot,” he admitted. “We often rehearse those kinds of shots in training in case they come up. We joke about appearing on Tennis TV as the Hot Shot of the week. They are natural shots that he comes up with, but you have to have skill.”

That “skill”, together with many other things, has made Alcaraz into a magnet for the fans, who pack out the stands whenever he takes to the court.

“He has a special way of connecting with people, it’s really magnetic,” said Ferrero. “The way he gives his all on court and plays, with that intensity and speed in his shots. He can do so many things during a match and that’s what people are entertained by. I enjoy watching him play, and I’ve been involved in the world of tennis for so long.”

Although Alcaraz has a great opportunity in front of him, being just two matches away from winning his first Grand Slam and a chance to become the youngest World No. 1 in the history of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, Ferrero is in no doubt about the path he should take.

“We don’t talk about any of that,” offered the Spaniard. “We don’t get ahead of ourselves. We know the opportunity he has ahead of him. He immerses himself, trying to improve his tennis every day and he enjoys himself on court. His joy on court is what makes him play well. It’s still quite a long way off and there’s so much to do to achieve it.

“Mentally, he’s ready to win a Grand Slam and to be No. 1, but you have to keep working hard and keep your head down all the time, maintaining that humility that he has.”

In keeping with these ideas, Ferrero wants to avoid overburdening his understudy, choosing to take things step by step.

“He has to find his way, let’s not make things even more difficult for him,” pleaded Ferrero. “The first step is to win a major. From there, consolidating the belief that he can win at every Grand Slam he plays. That’s what the best players do, really focusing on the goal of winning every time they go to a tournament.

“Hopefully, Carlos puts himself in that situation. He has a chance to win so much, but then you have to go out and do it. There are so many players that will make it difficult like Sinner, Kyrgios, Tsitsipas, Zverev… In the coming years there will be plenty of players who can win a major, it won’t be like the past decade.”