US Open 2022, Final, Sunday, 11/09/2022
For months fans have been looking forward to this one match, for a fortnight the best players in the world have been fighting hard for it. This Sunday it is finally here, the final of the 2022 US Open.
When people asked about the favourites before the start of the final Grand Slam this year, the names of the current two finalists were mentioned, but they did not really expect to face each other in the end.
The great experience will not be on the court on Sunday, but rather a 19-year-old super talent and the 23-year-old finalist of the recent French Open. At Betano, the role of favourite is attributed to the younger player.
In my Ruud Alcaraz tip, I now reveal why I will be betting on quite a few matches!
Carlos Alcaraz and Casper Ruud are the names of the two finalists in New York. The Spaniard was one of the hot candidates right from the start, but you didn’t know whether he would have his nerves under control.
Ruud was known for his class on clay, but he was not always really consistent this year. However, while stars like Rafael Nadal, Daniil Medvedev, Stefanos Tsitsipas or Nick Kyrgios failed, this duo was on the spot.
For both of them, Sunday is not only about the biggest title of their careers, but also about fulfilling their dream of becoming world No. 1. Whoever wins this final will be the first to go!
Alcaraz, who just turned 19 in May, would be the youngest number 1 ever. Does he have what it takes to hit the big time? In the months leading up to the US Open, he lacked the last ounce of strength, but now he seems to have found it again.
However, he did not get through this tournament without problems. Already at 7-5, 7-5, 2-0 in the 1st round, he was lucky that his opponent Sebastian Baez had to withdraw due to injury.
The young Spaniard then beat Federico Coria and Jenson Brooksby with ease before apparently thinking: time to give the spectators as much as possible for their entry fee!
The first five-set thriller took place at 6-4, 3-6, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 against Marin Cilic. It was to get even more exciting, however, as neither of the two top stars would concede in the quarter-final against Jannik Sinner.
It was Alcaraz again who had the better end on his side at 6-3, 6-7, 6-7, 7-5, 6-3. He made use of eleven of 26 break chances, so the match could possibly have ended a little quicker.
Frances Tiafoe in the semi-finals was another candidate who demanded everything from Alcaraz. His weakness was once again his ability to convert break chances, this time 9 out of 20. Even against Cilic, only a third of his breaks were saved.
In the end, it didn’t matter to Alcaraz anymore, because he won 6-7, 6-3, 6-1, 6-7, 6-3 against the local hero. His game is enormously energy-sapping, three sets in a row is not so easy for his often much older colleagues.
It is also striking that the youngster had to play four tiebreaks in this tournament, and lost all four! Despite this weakness, the German betting companies see him relatively clearly ahead on Sunday, the odds show 1.54 to 1.90.
Casper Ruud is the underdog, although unlike Alcaraz he already knows the feeling of a Grand Slam final. At this year’s French Open, he made it far, but then suffered a defeat at the hands of former champion Rafael Nadal.
This time he wants to be the one to give the victory speech at the end. And while Alcaraz had to push himself to his physical limits three times in a row, the Norwegian was able to save a little more energy.
Although he only managed two straight wins, he only went the full distance against Tommy Paul in a crazy 7-6, 6-7, 7-6, 6-7, 6-0. Ruud was not at his best from the start, he rather bit his way into this tournament.
A 6-7, 6-4, 6-4 against Tim van Rijthoven, for example, showed his difficulties at the beginning. But by the round of 16 at the latest, the 23-year-old was fully there. A very strong 6-1, 6-4, 7-6 against Matteo Berrettini showed: The first GS title is on the cards!
He was already trailing 1:4 in the third set, then got an immensely important break at 3-5. Finally, he was in the semi-finals and met Karen Khachanov there. A short wobble and the final was reached.
He triumphed 7-6, 6-2, 5-7, 6-2, this result looks much more confident than the ones Alcaraz collected. In the last three matches, he won an average of 80% of the points on first serve, here he is clearly ahead of the Spaniard.
By the way, the two have already met this year. In Miami, also in a final, Alcaraz won narrowly 7-5, 6-4. A year earlier in Marbella, it was also the colours of Spain that rejoiced.
We can expect a highly interesting as well as surprising final. Youth has prevailed at this US Open, between Casper Ruud and Carlos Alcaraz it will now be decided who will become the new number 1.
As I could see in my analysis, both were not necessarily willing to claim their victories quickly. Alcaraz in particular has really fallen in love with five-set thrillers.
I see little difference between the two in terms of performance. However, as close as the Spaniard’s results in particular were, I can only imagine a high-class, tight final. That’s why my tip is also:
We see more than 35.5 Games!
