It will be a first at this stage in Flushing Meadows for the Spaniard, 4th in the world, and the Norwegian 7th, guaranteed at the same time to jump to 1st and 2nd places at the ATP on Monday, without anyone knowing yet. what order. With new poster and context, fascinating scenario.

To offer himself at 19 a first opportunity for a major title, the Alcaraz phenomenon had to fight for 4h19 to defeat 6-7 (6/8), 6-3, 6-1, 6-7 (5/7) , 6-3 Tiafoe – euphoric since his scalp of Rafael Nadal in the 8th – after a duel that offered some of the best points of the tournament.

Adding the 5.15 hours it took him to beat Jannik Sinner after an already epic fight, that’s more than nine and a half hours on the Arthur Ashe court in just under two days for the Spaniard, whose crazy speed and unfailing self-sacrifice have never waned despite the accumulation of efforts and the doubts that could have arisen.

Because Alcaraz missed a match point at 5-4 in the 4th set, and paid dearly for it, Tiafoe pocketing the tie-break in the process, an exercise in which he excels to the point of having won the eight he has played during this fortnight, beating Pete Sampras’ record at Flushing Meadows (7).

– “To give everything” –

But the Murcia prodigy quickly moved on. Tightening the noose even stronger at the start of the fifth inning, he did not leave his opponent the possibility of believing that he would end up winning after being miraculously saved.

In tears, Tiafoe also recognized the superiority of Alcaraz after a long embrace.

“I gave it my all, but Carlos was too strong. This loss really hurts. I will come back and win this tournament one day,” he said as former first lady Michelle Obama and the actor Samuel L. Jackson, among an audience of stars who had not graced the stands of the Arthur Ashe since the elimination – synonymous with retirement – of Serena Williams.

“When we play in the half of a Major, we have to give everything, to fight until the last ball, no matter if it lasts five, six hours …”, commented Alcaraz, already turned to his perhaps a memorable meeting awaits him, since a coronation will make him the youngest world No.1 in history.

“Ruud has already played a final at Roland-Garros, it will be my first in a Major. I will leave everything on the court, but I will have to control my nerves given the context”, he said.

– “Fabulous tennis” –

The 23-year-old Norwegian, who had indeed lost to Rafael Nadal on Parisian clay, crossed the obstacle a little more calmly Khachanov (31st) 7-6 (7/5), 6-2, 5 -7, 6-2.

“I still played a very good match. We were both very nervous at the start, but that’s normal, it was for him as for me the most important match of our career. Roland-Garros could have been my only final (of a Major), but here I am again at this stage and I am very happy”, he rejoiced.

After an exchange of pleasantries, consisting of successful breaks by one, immediately erased by the other, the first set was resolved in the decisive game, which Ruud won after a rally of 55 shots. trades.

He didn’t have to work as hard in the next set, winning 30 of 41 points contested and all of his shutout games. “I played fabulous tennis,” at that time, he agreed.

After a burst from Khachanov in the third set, Ruud snatched serve twice in a row to escape 4-1 in the fourth and then sealed the deal in just over three hours.

A specialist in clay, on which he has won eight of his nine titles on the circuit, including three in 2022 in Buenos Aires, Geneva and Gstaad, Ruud is taking a big step on cement this season.

In April, he had been to the final at the Masters 1000 in Miami, where Alcaraz had stopped him. Ease confirmed at the Masters 1000 in Montreal in early August where he reached the last four.

Here he is in New York at the gates of the greatest performance of his career.