US Open 2022: Carlos Crushes Casper While Swiatek Tames Jabeur
Tennis, after years of the same winners, runners-up, and consistent contenders, is finally becoming unpredictable. Since 2006, there had only been 9 different Men’s Singles Grand Slam Champions, with a staggering 63 of those shared between Nadal, Djokovic and Federer. Andy Murray and Stan Wawrinka won 3 each, while Marin Cilic, Juan Martín del Potro, Dominic Thiem and Daniil Medvedev managed one major title each (so far). The likes of Thiem, Medvedev and Cilic were unable to back up their Grand Slam success with consistent results on the main tour (and indeed in other slams) over long periods of time and only provided short interludes to a period otherwise dominated by the so-called ‘Big 3’.
However, Carlos Alcaraz’s US Open triumph feels different. While this US Open was certainly there for the taking, with the absence of Novak Djokovic and the fitness of Rafa Nadal being called into question, it was certainly not a straightforward run for Alcaraz, who defeated French Open finalist Casper Ruud 6-4 2-6 7-6 6-3 in the final. On his way to the final, he overcame an inspired Frances Tiafoe (and the whole of Arthur Ashe stadium in the semi-finals), defeated an impressive Jannik Sinner in the latest finish to a match ever at the US Open and swept aside 2014 Champion Marin Cilic on his way to his maiden Grand Slam title. Those three matches all took 5 sets as Alcaraz spent over 23 hours on court over the course of the tournament, the most time ever spent on court by a single player at the US Open. Not content with breaking just that record, Alcaraz has become the youngest ever world number one in tennis history and the youngest Grand Slam champion since Rafael Nadal, at just 19 years of age.
More importantly, Alcaraz and his peers have shown that tennis is in capable hands going forward. Many tennis fans fear the day that Nadal, Djokovic and Federer finally take a step back from the game, worrying that the next generation of players simply won’t have the global image which the Big 3 have been able to provide. However, Alcaraz has become a sensation, quickly accumulating a massive fanbase and creating unbelievable atmospheres with his excellent defensive skills, his powerful groundstrokes and his boundless energy. This is undoubtedly the first of many Grand Slam titles for Alcaraz, who has very few points to defend for the rest of the year and looks nailed on to finish the year as World Number One. Under the expert tutelage of former world number one Juan Carlos Ferrero, Alcaraz looks destined for greatness.
Also destined for greatness is Iga Swiatek, although this one was a little more obvious to most tennis viewers. Swiatek found her best tennis at the right time in New York this year, peaking late in the tournament to brush aside Caroline Garcia in the semi-finals before going on to beat Ons Jabeur 6-2 7-6 in Saturday’s showpiece. Jabeur, in a similar manner to this year’s Wimbledon Final, never looked totally settled and did not make use of her ability to vary her groundstrokes with tricky slices and touch volleys, instead preferring to try and out rally Swiatek conventionally from the baseline. This was simply never going to happen, especially with the accuracy and weight of shot which Swiatek displayed to easily win the first set, before snuffing out any signs of a late Jabeur resurgence in the second set.
Swiatek continues to boast an excellent record in finals, winning her last 10 without dropping a set, 3 of those being Grand Slam finals. Such is Swiatek’s dominance this year, that she has more than double the rankings points of Jabeur (who is now World Number Two) and looks seemingly unstoppable. She has proven that she can win slams on multiple surfaces, having only won Roland Garros prior to this US Open and promises to improve even more going forward, being only 21 years old. Her 37-match winning streak earlier this year was an unprecedented display of dominance, leading to the creation of a parody website called ‘Iga’s Bakery’, which displays an exhaustive list of all the sets Swiatek has won either 6-0 or 6-1, known as Bagels and Breadsticks, with her defeated opponents being referred to as customers. It is worth a look, especially on a slow Tuesday at the office.
This US Open has seen many positives from a British perspective too. Kyle Edmund marked his return to Grand Slam Tennis, losing to eventual runner-up Casper Ruud in a very competitive encounter, where Edmund showed flashes of the brilliance which propelled him to 14 in the rankings. Jack Draper has reached a career high ranking of 46 at the age of just 20, which could have been ever higher, had he not had to retire against Karen Khachanov in a match which Draper looked to be in command of. Andy Murray played some of his most impressive tennis in recent years and Cameron Norrie has reached a career-high ranking of 8 in the World but will be disappointed with his Round 4 exit to Andrey Rublev. Keep an eye on Draper and Edmund for the rest of this year, some more impressive results are certainly on their way.