10 incredible things Carlos Alcaraz achieved by winning the US Open

Carlos Alcaraz lit up Arthur Ashe Stadium this year with epic victory after epic victory, and at the end of the two weeks he lifted up the US Open trophy.

Here are 10 incredible things he achieved with his first Grand Slam title:

He’s the first man born in the 2000s to win a major. The Big 3 have been so dominant over the last 15 to 20 years that the 2003-born Alcaraz isn’t just the first man born in 2000 or later to win a major, he’s actually only the third man born in 1990 or later to achieve the feat, after Dominic Thiem (born in 1993) and Daniil Medvedev (born in 1996).

The 19-year-old Spaniard is the fourth player born in the 2000s, male or female, to win a major, after Bianca Andreescu, Iga Swiatek and Emma Raducanu.

He’s the second teenager in the Open Era to win the US Open men’s title. The first was Pete Sampras, who was a younger 19 when he conquered Flushing Meadows in 1990.

He’s just the eighth teenager in the entire Open Era to win any Grand Slam men’s title. Since Sampras did it at the 1990 US Open, only Rafael Nadal (2005 Roland Garros) and Alcaraz (2022 US Open) have achieved the feat.

TEENAGERS TO WIN GRAND SLAM TITLES (men, Open Era):

• Michael Chang (won first major at 1989 Roland Garros at 17 years, 4 months)
• Boris Becker (won first major at 1985 Wimbledon at 17 years, 7 months)
• Mats Wilander (won first major at 1982 Roland Garros at 17 years, 9 months)
• Bjorn Borg (won first major at 1974 Roland Garros at 18 years, 0 months)
• Rafael Nadal (won first major at 2005 Roland Garros at 19 years, 0 months)
• Pete Sampras (won first major at 1990 US Open at 19 years, 0 months)
• Carlos Alcaraz (won first major at 2022 US Open at 19 years, 4 months)
• Stefan Edberg (won first major at 1985 Australian Open at 19 years, 11 months)

He’s the first man to win a Grand Slam title after facing match point since Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon in 2019, and the first man to win the US Open after facing match point since Stan Wawrinka in 2016. Alcaraz fought off a match point in the fourth set of his 6-3, 6-7 (7), 6-7 (0), 7-5, 6-3 quarterfinal victory over Jannik Sinner, which on its own broke the record for latest finish to a match in US Open history, wrapping up at 2:50am. And with a total time on court of 5:15, it was also the second-longest match in US Open history, period, trailing only Edberg’s 6-7 (3), 7-5, 7-6 (3), 5-7, 6-4 victory over Chang in the 1992 semifinals, which lasted 5:26.

He won the US Open men's title in just his second appearance at the event, the fewest attempts before winning the title in the Open Era. Three other men had reached the final in their second career appearance at the US Open—Tom Okker in 1968, Jan Kodes in 1971, Miloslav Mecir in 1986—but they all fell one win short of the title.

By winning the title, he rose to No. 1—and became the first teenager ever to reach the top of the ATP rankings. He’s actually the youngest man to reach No. 1 by over a year.

YOUNGEST NO. 1s IN ATP RANKINGS HISTORY:

• Carlos Alcaraz: 19 years, 4 months (September 12, 2022)
• Lleyton Hewitt: 20 years, 9 months (November 19, 2001)
• Marat Safin: 20 years, 10 months (November 20, 2000)
• John McEnroe: 21 years, 1 month (March 3, 1980)
• Andy Roddick: 21 years, 2 months (November 3, 2003)

He’s the first man born in the 2000s to reach No. 1. He’s still the only man born in the 2000s to even reach the Top 5—the only other two men born in the 2000s to reach the Top 10 are Sinner (career-high No. 9) and Felix Auger-Aliassime (career-high No. 8).

He’s the fourth Spanish man to reach No. 1 on the ATP rankings. Carlos Moya (Nadal’s coach) spent two weeks there in 1999, Juan Carlos Ferrero (Alcaraz’s coach) spent eight weeks there in 2003, and Nadal himself has spent 209 career weeks there, split up across 10 seasons (2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020).

By rising from No. 4 to No. 1, he tied the record for biggest jump to reach No. 1 for the first time in ATP rankings history. Moya also rose from No. 4 to make his debut at No. 1 on March 15th, 1999, after reaching the final of Indian Wells that year. He then spent the two weeks of Miami at No. 1, falling to Sebastien Grosjean in the fourth round.

The US Open was Alcaraz’s tour-leading fifth title of the year. His 6-7 (6), 6-3, 6-1 6-7 (5), 6-3 semifinal victory over American Frances Tiafoe also qualified him for his first ATP Finals, which will be held in Turin in November. His 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 (1), 6-3 victory over Norway's Casper Ruud in the final was also his tour-leading 51st win of the year.

Alcaraz actually played his first match as No. 1 five days after the US Open final, falling to Auger-Aliassime in Davis Cup action on Friday, 6-7 (3), 6-4, 6-2. Despite the loss, the Spaniard kept another incredible trend going—he’s now won at least one set in his last 66 consecutive matches. The last man to beat him in straight sets was France’s Hugo Gaston, who recorded a 6-4, 7-5 victory over him in Paris last November.