Carlos Alcaraz or Casper Ruud

There’s greater than a US Open title on the road Sunday in New York: The person who wins the ultimate may even change into the world’s No. 1 participant.

Will it’s Carlos Alcaraz, the 19-year-old phenom who will look to hitch Pete Sampras as the one teenage males to win the US Open since 1968? Or will it’s Casper Ruud, who made all of it to the best way to the French Open remaining earlier this 12 months earlier than shedding to Rafael Nadal? Our specialists weigh in.

What can Alcaraz do to defeat Ruud?

Cliff Drysdale: Alcaraz wants to attend for the proper second to make use of his knockout punch and never be too keen to complete the purpose too quickly.

Luke Jensen: Ice tub! Restoration might be mission essential to have the physique in a position to flush out the lactic acid from the sore muscle tissues after three lengthy five-set matches. If the child can transfer, he can win.

Alexandra Stevenson: It is all about how Alcaraz recovers from a number of five-set matches. If he is totally recovered, he beats Rudd, who’s constantly stable. The psychological sport will matter to Alcaraz. Straightforward errors occur on courtroom when your physique is drained. Physique and thoughts — that would be the two parts for Alcaraz to win.

Tom Hamilton: He should not change a factor. No matter he is carried out right here on the US Open has labored. Regardless of reaching the ultimate off the again of three straight five-set matches, every lasting late into the night time, Alcaraz’s physique is exhibiting no indicators of fatigue. So stick at it.

But when he is to study from his earlier Grand Slam exits this 12 months, he wants to begin effectively towards Ruud. Again in Roland Garros, he began slowly towards Alexander Zverev and was made to pay the worth. The identical occurred towards Jannik Sinner at Wimbledon. He went two units down and simply could not haul himself again in — later saying nerves additionally affected his sport.

So beginning effectively is completely important. He fell a set down within the semifinal with Tiafoe — he cannot let that occur once more.

D’Arcy Maine: Precisely what he is been doing to beat everybody else all through this event — battle for each single level as if the match relied on it and by no means let his foot off the gasoline pedal. He is a relentless fighter who merely would not know the way to give up (I am nonetheless not fairly over that point from the first set against Tiafoe) and even when he will get down, he finds methods to get again into the match. Positive, he may need some nerves going into his first main remaining, but when he can get these in test — and there isn’t any purpose to assume he will not — he simply must play his sport and that is his title to win.

Aishwarya Kumar: Alcaraz must do what he is been doing rather well all event lengthy: He must return effectively on Ruud’s serve and run each ball down. He must make Ruud return that further ball throughout his serve, consistently placing him underneath strain. And, he wants to carry serve. He has been struggling a bit with holding serve after going up a break, and that may be key with Ruud, who won’t give him many possibilities to interrupt.

What can Ruud do to defeat Alcaraz?

Drysdale: Ruud just isn’t a risk-taker by nature, however wants to alter that on this match.

Jensen: Ruud should be efficient on his serve. It is a mixture of aces, unreturnable and easy-plus-one-putaways. Alcaraz is so efficient from the return facet of the courtroom, and within the earlier matches Ruud was rocked by the Alcaraz return sport.

Stevenson: Rudd has had a excessive service share. He has an indomitable baseline wall of consistency. Bear in mind the 55-ball rally towards Karen Khachanov? Alcaraz must carry the pictures to interrupt Rudd down.

Maine: It may be powerful for Ruud to cease the runaway practice that’s Alcaraz proper now, however he’s lucky sufficient to have some expertise enjoying towards the 19-year-old in a hard-court remaining: The 2 met in Miami in April with the trophy on the road.

Alcaraz gained that match in straight units nevertheless it nonetheless provides Ruud some clues of what he must be ready for. After his semifinal win on Thursday, Ruud stated he would want to “play very exact with all of the pictures that I hit, particularly attempt to maintain [Alcaraz] just a little bit additional again within the courtroom, to play with good depth and size on all my pictures.”

That is Ruud’s second main remaining, so by way of understanding what to anticipate, he actually has the sting. This might assist him early within the match particularly. Alcaraz had a sluggish begin in Miami, and Ruud must discover a technique to not solely repeat that, however to not let that momentum slip away.

Hamilton: Ruud has to attract on every part he discovered from that defeat within the Roland Garros remaining to Rafael Nadal. He has the massive match expertise at a Slam, which Alcaraz might be testing for the primary time, and no matter he can glean from that might be key come Sunday.

He additionally should preserve that very same consistency he discovered on his serve towards Khachanov. He solely served one double fault throughout that match and gained 83% of factors on his first serve. If he additionally harnesses the total energy of his forehand, he’ll trigger Alcaraz all method of problem as Khachanov came upon of their semifinal.

“His primary weapon is his forehand, going round, accelerating the ball, having one of many heaviest prime spins on tour,” Khachanov stated postmatch. “He improved his backhand as effectively. He isn’t lacking that many balls.”

Kumar: Ruud has an unbelievable forehand and he will increase the pace of the ball along with his prime spin. Alcaraz is excellent at that too, so if Ruud can go on the offense, attacking Alcaraz’s second serve along with his forehand, I feel he might break Alcaraz’s serve constantly. If he accomplishes that, we now have a match on our palms. Plus, remember that Ruud additionally runs the courtroom, makes you come one further ball, so if he can push Alcaraz across the courtroom early on within the match, contemplating the truth that Alcaraz has been on the courtroom round 14 hours in simply the previous three rounds, I might see him getting just a little drained right here and there.

Who do you assume will win?

Drysdale: Alcaraz, in 4 units.

Jensen: Alcaraz is a person of future. If the physique remains to be ready to reply to lengthy rallies, he can win. Alcaraz has an incredible temperament and is able to be world No. 1.

Stevenson: Alcaraz wins, if he performs his show-stopping, magnificent athleticism, combining that unbelievable courtroom magic with astounding confidence. He’ll change into No. 1 on this planet and one of the best participant within the 2022 US Open.

Hamilton: All the pieces favors Alcaraz, and it is exhausting to look previous all of the stats weighted in his favor. He holds the 2-0 lead over Ruud in earlier conferences (6-2, 6-4 in Marbella on clay in 2021; 7-5, 6-4 in Miami this 12 months on exhausting courtroom), and although he is performed three straight five-set matches, I feel he simply has an excessive amount of magic in that racket for Ruud. Anticipate this to have a number of twists and turns and for Ruud to win the primary set, however I totally anticipate Alcaraz to finish up with the trophy come Sunday night — and the No. 1 rating.

Maine: Alcaraz. Ruud has had an ideal event, and season, however Alcaraz’s victory feels nearly inevitable at this level. Coming into the ultimate with three consecutive five-set matches, towards high-quality opponents, he’s fueled with self-belief and is aware of precisely what he is able to. Sunday would be the first of many main titles for Alcaraz.

Kumar: Alcaraz is a particular participant, a once-in-a technology participant. He can do just about every part — he’s snug on the baseline, he loves coming as much as the online, he switches it up, he serves effectively. If something, he has means too many instruments in his device equipment. And, his tenacity all through this event has been spectacular, three back-to-back 5 setters to achieve the ultimate, two of which he needed to come again from a break down within the fifth set.

As he says, he believes in himself each single second on the courtroom, and it actually exhibits. He shakes it off mentally when he is down, and he converts protection to offense superbly. I am unable to wait to observe him elevate his first Grand Slam trophy come Sunday.