Carlos Alcaraz defeats Casper Ruud to win the US Open final
(AP) — Rafael Nadal used his forehand and came out in the top half of the match to cruise into the U.S. Open final. With his serve broken earlier, he was facing what appeared to be a tough test in a match that felt more like a walkover than a contest.
Almagro’s serve and forehand could not compete with the power of the Spanish maestro’s forehands, which were coming at him as he stood there at the net, looking uncomfortable, his face flushed, his eyes wide.
With the match on his racket, Almagro took one step back, one step forward on his racket and attacked the ball with a big forehand that carried up to No. 9, and then another two steps forward and swung to the net. This time he hit a powerful, backhand that carried up to No. 16 and then another step, and another backhand that went wide and then to the net. He made it all the way to the line.
Almagro, No. 8 in the world and No. 2 behind Novak Djokovic, was up 3-0, but couldn’t get a foothold in Nadal’s service games. He finished the match with a final score of 3-6, 7-6(2), 6-3, 6-4.
Nadal broke Almagro once in the first set, and once again the Spaniard fought his way back.
“I’m very happy, I have to say,” Nadal said. “I came here to play my best tennis. To do it in the final of the U.S. Open was my way to try to make something out of my life, to try to achieve something. The only way to be in the final of this tournament is through your head, not your heart.”
Almagro, No. 8 this week, ended up at No. 16 in the world after winning
