The US Open final match is set! Norway’s Casper Ruud and Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz will battle for the title in Sunday’s primetime finale on Arthur Ashe. But that’s not all. The winner will also become the new World No.1.
BetUS sportsbook installs Alcaraz as the firm favorite to win at -230 and Ruud at +190 to claim the title. The games handicap is settled on 3½ games, albeit juiced at -120 in favor of Alcaraz. The total is projected to 39½ with the OVER juiced to -115.
Read on for our Ruud vs Alcaraz US Open final preview. We’ll check the latest Tennis picks, stats, injury reports, and Tennis odds for this highly anticipated match and serve up our choice Tennis predictions for your consideration.
US Open Final Outrights
- Carlos Alcaraz -230
- Casper Ruud +190
Alcaraz, the Human Highlight Reel
Alcaraz played two five-set marathons in a row before his semifinal against American Frances Tiafoe, including a five-hour and 15-minute quarterfinal. And yet, he was still able to produce incredible, otherworldly tennis on Friday night that sent Arthur Ashe into a right tizzy and had audiences around the world glued to their TV screens in wonderment.
How does @carlosalcaraz keep winning points like this?!
📻: US Open Radio pic.twitter.com/4zaulRL8DM
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 10, 2022
Alcaraz had to rally to beat Tiafoe in five sets, 6-7(6), 6-3, 6-1, 6-7 (5), 6-3 and to clinch a place in his maiden final. This week has been a week of milestones for the human highlight reel with his first grand slam semifinal as well as final.
Now, all that’s left is winning his first grand slam title. No pressure, then.
Ruud Roars into Second Final
Ruud roared into the US Open final with an impressive win over Karen Khachanov in Friday’s first semifinal, 7-6(ř5), 6-2, 5-7, 6-2.
The match was more competitive than the scoreline suggests. Khachanov fought hard and gave Ruud a challenge, but the Norwegian won the important points.
Arguably, the most important point was the final point of the first set, a 55-shot rally that Ruud captured to clinch the first set. After that point, Khachanov’s intensity visibly dropped and he lost the next set 6-2.
The Russian perked up in the third set and forced a fourth, but he left it too late. Ruud was brimming with confidence and although he dropped the third set, he quickly recovered to take the final set 6-2.
Casper Ruud wins 55-shot point to reach US Open semifinals https://t.co/JcQgU0So9L [via @YahooNews] pic.twitter.com/Gk2WS2JQ2h
— Ńasser ➊ Million Tweets (@nasser_mo3gza) September 9, 2022
Ruud vs Alcaraz Head-to-Head
Ruud and Alcaraz met as recently as the Miami Open final, a match that Alcaraz won in straight sets to claim his maiden ATP Masters 1000 title.
Lifetime, the Spaniard has the 2-0 head-to-head edge over Ruud. Alcaraz won the first meeting in Barcelona (clay) 6-2, 6-4.
Ruud vs Alcaraz Game Information
- Game: Ruud (38-15) vs Alcaraz (44-9))
- Location: Arthur Ashe, Flushing Meadows, Queens, New York
- Day/Time: Sunday, Sept. 11, 2022, 7 p.m. ET
- Ruud vs Alcaraz Live Stream: tennistv.com
Ruud vs Alcaraz Prediction
Ruud reached the French Open final earlier this year where he faced the King of Clay, Rafael Nadal. Going into that final, the odds were stacked heavily against the Norwegian, literally and figuratively.
Once again, Ruud is at the disadvantage on the tennis odds board in a grand slam final. This time around, his chances of winning are much better than the odds would suggest. Some might even argue that he’s the value tennis pick because of his experience in Paris.
Alcaraz is the teenage phenom that has captured the imagination of tennis fans, ever since his breakthrough performance in the 2021 US Open where he reached the quarterfinals of a major for the first time in his career.
It’s somewhat fitting that Alcaraz’s maiden major final comes at the very same grand slam where he announced himself to the ATP Tour and fans alike. And one can’t put it past him to win the US Open title on Sunday either.
He’s come full circle to the exact place where his meteoric rise to the top of the rankings began last season. What he’s accomplished since then is absolutely phenomenal – something we’ve not seen since Nadal burst onto the season and won the French Open title at 19 years of age.
