The U.S. Open from Flushing Meadows has officially wrapped up, and produced perhaps the most fascinating storylines of any major this season. Here are five takeaways.
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The final chapter is now complete in the 2022 tennis Grand Slam calendar.
The U.S. Open from Flushing Meadows has officially wrapped up, and produced perhaps the most fascinating storylines of any major this season.
Iga Swiatek became the first winner of the event from Poland, and she continues her brilliant run as world No. 1.
The men’s game has crowned a new No. 1 — Carlos Alcaraz.
Here are my five takeaways from the tournament.
Alcaraz becomes new champ, world No. 1
He is the youngest U.S. Open champion since a bright-eyed Pete Sampras captured the title back in 1990.
He is also now the youngest ATP world No. 1 in history
The 19-year-old Alcaraz completed his meteoric ascension, defeating Norway’s Casper Ruud 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 (1), 6-3 in the final.
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Alcaraz brought his firecracker game and exuberant energy to the New York courts from the get-go, and was tested in heavyweight bouts on his road to the championship.
In the round of 16, he overcame determined 2014 U.S. Open winner Marin Cilic in a five-set marathon, rallying from down a break in the fifth set.
He played the match of the tournament against Jannik Sinner, defeating the svelte and agile Italian in a contest that lasted five hours, 15 minutes and wrapped up at 2:50 a.m. ET, the latest finish in tournament history.
It featured an abundance of highlights, with this stupefying behind-the-back Alcaraz special standing out.
Alcaraz has all the qualities of a tennis superstar.
He’s a shot maker, a tenacious and relentless competitor, a showman, and is the perfect blend of humble and confident.
This slam title is undoubtedly the first of many.
Iga’s brilliance unmatched
Swiatek storied 2022 season reached remarkably great heights at Flushing Meadows, as the world No. 1 defeated Ons Jabeur 6-2, 7-6 (5) to win her first U.S. Open, second Grand Slam in the calendar year, and third overall.
Swiatek has simply been head and shoulders above the rest of the field all season long.
Her stretch of play from February to May was otherworldly, as she reeled off 37 consecutive match wins and four titles in a row, including her second French Open crown.
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Her winning streak was finally halted at Wimbledon, and a brief dip in play took place this summer, with earlier-than-anticipated exits in Toronto and Cincinnati.
Swiatek promptly rounded back into peak form at Flushing Meadows.
After cruising through the first week unscathed, she narrowly escaped heavy-hitting German Jule Niemeier 2-6, 6-4, 6-0 in the round of 16.
She took out red-hot American Jessica Pegula in straight sets, then rallied past Aryna Sabalenka 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 in a high-octane semifinal.
Big 3 finally halted by next generation
What will the men’s tennis landscape truly look like when the Big 3 of Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Roger Federer leave the sport?
We had a true glimpse of it at Flushing Meadows.
With Nadal’s surprise exit to Frances Tiafoe in the round of 16, Djokovic not competing due to his vaccination status, and Federer nursing a knee injury that’s kept him out all year, it was a chance for a different crop of players to shine in front of the New York crowds.
Plenty made quite the impression.
Ruud, previously labelled as a ‘clay-court specialist’ by some tennis pundits, revealed his hard-court moxie with six consecutive wins.
Ruud’s balance and movement on court are impeccable, and he has now reached two Grand Slam finals this season.
Karen Khachanov, 26, advanced to his first Grand Slam semifinal with his persistently aggressive and blistering baseline game.
Khachanov defeated Montreal National Bank Open champion Pablo Carreno Busta in the round of 16 in five sets, and then used another five sets to overcome enigmatic Wimbledon finalist Nick Kyrgios.
Andrey Rublev and Canadian Denis Shapovalov exchanged tennis punches for over fours hours in a third-round epic, with the Russian narrowly winning 6-4, 2-6, 6-7 (3), 6-4, 7-6 (7).
While Nadal and Djokovic are clearly still the cream of the crop, hoisting three of the Slams in this calendar year, the sport is also entering a phase of transition.
With an abundance of talent, it’s in perfectly good hands.
The Entertainer
American Frances Tiafoe has always been one of the most engaging and dynamic players to watch on the ATP Tour.
He carries himself with a notable kind of swagger, will flash surprising trick shots, engage with fans mid-match and exchange high-fives, and is keen to turn any professional tennis match into a piece of entertainment.
With his steady and booming serve, rock-solid backhand, and the ability to take the ball early, he’s also accumulated strong success with an ATP title, three finals, and a quarterfinals run at the Australian Open in 2019.
Everything truly came together in these two weeks at Flushing Meadows.
Tiafoe soared through his first three matches in New York without dropping a set and was beaming with confidence and belief entering his round-of-16 showdown against 22-time Slam winner Nadal.
Belief in yourself is one element required.
Executing your game at a ridiculously elite level for a sustained period is a must against any member of the Big 3.
Tiafoe took time and space away from the lefty, and controlled the baseline, eventually prevailing 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3.
After defeating Rublev in the following round, Tiafoe became the first American to reach the U.S. Open semis since Andy Roddick did so back in 2006.
Tiafoe’s backstory is one to admire.
The son of Sierra Leone immigrants who fled to the United States to escape a civil war, Tiafoe actually grew up in a tennis facility in Maryland where his father took a job to work as an on-site custodian and was given an office to live in.
With this latest breakout tournament, he now moves to a new career-high of No. 19 in the rankings.
Jabeur, Garcia, Pegula highlight women’s performances
Tunisia’s Jabeur was so close to achieving her dream just months ago at the All England Club as she fell in a three-set Wimbledon final to Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan.
The 28-year-old made another special run at a Grand Slam in New York.
Jabeur’s power and variety mix is disruptive to so much of the tour, as she keeps fellow competitors off balance and guessing.
She has also soared to world No. 2 in the rankings, a career-high for any Arab or African woman.
Meanwhile, France’s Caroline Garcia arrived at Flushing Meadows as the most in-form player in the circuit and did not skip a beat.
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Garcia came firing out of the gates with an attacking mindset, dismantling notable players like 2019 U.S. Open champ Bianca Andreescu of Canada, rising teenager Coco Gauff, and top-30 American Alison Riske.
By the time she advanced to the semifinals, Garcia had won 31 of her last 35 matches since June, a stretch that saw her hoist three WTA titles.
The run was finally halted by Jabeur, but a prompt return to the top 10 has solidified her as yet another notable contender on the women’s circuit.
Pegula stands out as one of the most consistent and best baseline ball-strikers on the WTA.
It’s translated results wise, as Pegula advanced to her fourth career Grand Slam quarterfinal, reaching the stage with a clinical 6-3, 6-2 win over two-time major champion Petra Kvitova.
Pegula is a complete player and alongside Gauff has achieved success on the doubles circuit as well with two WTA 1000 titles and a finals run at the French Open.
The daughter of Terry and Kim, owners of the Buffalo Bills and Sabres, Pegula can now hopefully rest up for a couple of weeks and perhaps enjoy her favourite NFL team, which no doubt has Super Bowl aspirations this season — much like she has dreams of a major title.
