US Open Tennis 2022 Men's Final: Carlos Alcaraz vs. Casper Ruud Preview

A first-time Grand Slam champion will be crowned Sunday at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York City. As the 2022 U.S. Open draws to a close, two youngsters will battle it out in the final of the men's singles tournament.

Carlos Alcaraz, a 19-year-old from Spain, is set to take on Casper Ruud, a 23-year-old from Norway. Alcaraz has made it to the final as the No. 3 seed in the tournament, while Ruud was seeded at No. 5.

It should be a competitive bout. And by the end of it, one of these two men will have earned his first win in the final of a major tournament.

Here's everything else you need to know about the Alcaraz-Ruud matchup.

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Men's Singles Final Info

Date: Sunday, Sept. 11

Start Time: 4 p.m. ET

TV: ESPN

Live Stream: ESPN app

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Preview

Considering Alcaraz and Ruud were both among the top-five seeded players in this year's U.S. Open, it's not a huge surprise to see them both still standing. However, they are part of a new wave of fresh faces having success at Grand Slam events.

For more than a decade, the trio of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer dominated the men's singles action at major tournaments. But Djokovic (COVID-19 vaccination status) and Federer (knee injury) weren't part of this year's U.S. Open, while Nadal fell in the round of 16, losing to Frances Tiafoe.

Alcaraz and Ruud capitalized, making deep runs through the tournament. And each clearly belongs to be here.

It's been a long week for Alcaraz, as his past three matches have all gone five sets. Yet, he keeps finding ways to pull out victories, defeating No. 15-seeded Marin Čilić in the round of 16, No. 11-seeded Jannik Sinner in the quarterfinals and the No. 22-seeded Tiafoe in the semifinals.

Even though there were quite a few times Alcaraz seemed to be on the brink of elimination, he continued to persevere and win important points that sent him on to victory in each of those matches.

"I feel good, I feel great," Alcaraz said, per the ATP Tour. "Right now, I'm just so, so happy. I thought about a young man 10 years ago dreaming for this moment right now. Yeah, I'm feeling great."

This will be a new experience for Alcaraz, as he's never previously played in the final at a major tournament. Before this, the deepest he had gone at a Grand Slam event was the quarterfinals (the 2021 U.S. Open and the 2022 French Open).

Ruud has the advantage in that regard. He's already played in a Grand Slam final, and it wasn't that long ago. In June, he reached the final of the French Open, but he lost to Nadal 6-3, 6-3, 6-0.

On Sunday, Ruud will be looking for a different end result. He's impressed so far at the U.S. Open, winning each of his past two matches in four sets against a pair of quality opponents (No. 13-seeded Matteo Berrettini and No. 27-seeded Karen Khachanov).

Now, Ruud hopes to take down Alcaraz. And that's something he's never done, either, as Alcaraz has a 2-0 lead in the all-time series between the two men. But the stage will be much bigger this time.

“Of course, there will be nerves, and we will both feel it," Ruud said, per Howard Fendrich of the Associated Press.

Either way, it will be a special day for one of these two talented players.