Efosa Taiwo

Carlos Alcaraz has won the US Open men’s singles event, defeating his opponent, Casper Ruud at the flushing Meadows on Sunday to claim his first ever grand slam.

The Spanish teenager and Ruud went into the match both seeking their first grand slam title and to top the world rankings.

Alcaraz will however emerge victorious in the early hours of Sunday at the Arthur Ashe Stadium winning 6-4 2-6 7-6 (7-1) 6-3.

Reacting to his victory, Alacaraz said the feat is a childhood dream, noting how much he worked hard to actualize the dream.

“This is something I dreamed of since I was a young kid. To be number one in the world, to be the champion of a Grand Slam,” said Alcaraz.

“All the hard work I did with my team, my family. I’m just 19 years old so a lot of the decisions are with my team, my parents. It’s something that is very special for me

Alcaraz admitted with a smile that he was “a little bit” tired, adding that “I always said it’s not time to be tired in the final round of a Grand Slam. You have to give everything on court, everything you have inside.”

The victory has placed the teenager as the youngest ever to climb to World Number 1 on the ATP rankings, breaking the record held by Australia’s Lleyton Hewitt set at 20 in 2001.

Alcaraz bursted into limelight by reaching the quarter-finals at Flushing Meadows a year ago, proving how ready he was to win the biggest titles by lifting Masters trophies in Miami and Madrid, where he overcame veterans, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic consecutively.