US Open Tennis 2022 Men's Final Prediction and Prize Money
Casper Ruud and Carlos Alcaraz will face off in the U.S. Open men's final on Sunday at Arthur Ashe Stadium in Queens, New York. The final Grand Slam event of the year has been full of surprises—all four of Friday's competitors were making their U.S. Open semifinal debuts—and promises a thrilling finish.
Ruud is back in a Grand Slam final after losing in the French Open to Rafael Nadal earlier this year. The 23-year-old Norwegian won the Swiss Open Gstaad in July and is looking to claim his first career Grand Slam title.
Alcaraz, meanwhile, is appearing in his first Grand Slam final after falling to Alexander Zverev in the French Open quarterfinals. On Friday, the 19-year-old Spaniard defeated American Frances Tiafoe in a grueling match, which was his second five-set bout in a matter of days and third of the week.
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The winner will take home $2.6 million while the remaining finalist will pocket $1.3 million. Friday's losing semifinalists each earned $705,000 in prize money.
Oh, and the winner will also claim the world's No. 1 ranking.
2022 U.S. Open Men's Singles Final
When: Sunday, September 11
Time: 4 p.m. ET
Where: Arthur Ashe Stadium in Queens, New York
Prize Payout: $2.6 million to winner, $1.3 million to runner-up
TV and Live Stream: ESPN and ESPN+
While Ruud isn't exactly a Grand Slam newcomer, he hasn't historically fared well on the biggest stage. His record coming into 2022 was 13-14 in the sport's marquee events, and he held a 3-4 record in New York.
However, Ruud has been on a surge this year, winning the Argentina Open, Geneva Open, and Swiss Open while notching his first Wimbledon match victory, and of course, reaching the French Open final.
"After Roland Garros, I was, of course, extremely happy, but at the same time, humble enough to think that that could be my only final in a Grand Slam in my career," Ruud told reporters. "Those [don't] come easy. So, here I'm back again couple months later, so it feels beyond words could describe."
It's entirely possible that Ruud's run ends with a U.S. Open title. He's shown his versatility, reaching the final in both clay and hard-surface major events after winning eight of his nine ATP titles on clay. He's also shown growth under the guidance of his father and former pro Christian Ruud.
Ruud flashed both on Friday against powerful 26-year-old Karen Khachanov. He'll need that and more to beat Alcaraz, who is coming off of his own breakout 2022 tour.
Alcaraz, who made his ATP debut in 2020 at the age of 16, participated in all four Grand Slam events this year. He made it to the third round of the Australian Open, the fourth round at Wimbledon and the quarterfinals at the French Open.
His rise in New York has been even more impressive. On Friday, he managed to outlast Tiafoe, the promising American who knocked out Rafael Nadal—the winner of this year's Australian and French Opens and a four-time U.S. Open champion.
After beating Nadal and Andrey Rublev, Tiafoe became the first American to reach the semis in 16 years.
Tiafoe took an early lead by winning the opening set via an 8-6 tiebreak. While Tiafoe also had the support of the home crowd, Alcaraz won two hard-fought sets before Tiafoe forced a fifth with another tiebreak win. His technique and staying power were on full display throughout the back-and-forth battle and especially in the final frame.
Alcaraz's victory came after Wednesday's five-plus-hour match against Jannik Sinner.
"Honestly, I still don't know how I did it," Alcaraz said, per Yahoo Sports' Sam Goodwin.
Fatigue could be a legitimate problem for Alcaraz after his match with the 22nd seed—one that went to a tiebreak in the fourth set as well as the first. It's not as if Ruud has had an easy run of the tournament, but Alcaraz has been forced to push through two consecutive endurance tests.
The expectation here is that fresher legs and experience will carry the day on Sunday. Expect another epic match, though, and expect both Ruud and Alcaraz to remain in the championship spotlight for the foreseeable future.
Prediction: Ruud wins in five sets.
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