Carlos Alcaraz wins the US Open and is the No. 1 tennis player in the world

(CNN Spanish) – At the age of nineteen Carlos Alcaraz Tennis is really cool: he beat Casper Rudd by four mushrooms in the US Open final and climbed to the top of the ATP rankings.

In a close match at Arthur Ashe Stadium in Flushing, New York, the Spaniard won 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 (7-1), 6-3 over the Norwegian, who was playing his second Grand Slam final but still The address is far from it.

“This is something I have dreamed about since I was a kid. To be No. 1 in the world, to be a hero,” Alcaraz said, saying he was thinking of some of his family members who couldn’t come to see him play.

“I always say this is not the time to get tired in the last round of a Grand Slam, you have to give your all inside,” he said.

The 19-year-old played three straight five-set matches en route to the final, including the second longest match in US Open history, when he defeated Yannick Sener at 2:50 a.m. in the quarterfinals.

Alcaraz became the youngest winner of a men’s singles Grand Slam since compatriot Rafael Nadal won his first Grand Slam title in June 2005.

In addition, he is now the youngest No. 1 in the history of the ATP rankings, an award previously awarded to Lleyton Hewitt, who reached number one at the age of twenty in 2001.

Image source: ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images

Rudd, for his part, said he would continue to chase the #1 spot.

“Today was a special day, Carlos and I knew what was at stake and we knew what was at stake,” Rudd said. “I’m disappointed, of course, that I’m not No. 1, but No. 2 isn’t bad either.”

Throughout the US Open, the Spaniard wowed the crowd with his speed, athletic performance and stunning shots. This latest victory may be the first of many Grand Slam titles in his career.

Alcaraz, a clay-court specialist, has drawn comparisons to 22-time Grand Slam champion Nadal and is only the second player in the Open Era to reach the US Teen Open final after Pete Sampras.

With information from Matt Foster.