Carlos, the teenage tennis ‘superstar’, triumphs in New York

People have been saying it for some time, and now we know it’s true, said Simon Briggs in The Daily Telegraph: the “Spanish prodigy” Carlos Alcaraz is the “future of men’s tennis”. On Sunday night at Flushing Meadows, Alcaraz confirmed his status as the sport’s new superstar by claiming an “extraordinary treble in New York”.

First, he won his maiden grand slam title by beating Casper Ruud of Norway 6-4, 2-6, 7-6, 6-3. Second, at the age of 19 years and 130 days, he became “the youngest man to claim the world No. 1 ranking, smashing Lleyton Hewitt’s record by more than 16 months”. Third – and perhaps most significantly – he “won over the 24,000 fans in Arthur Ashe Stadium as if he were an American”. Not only is Alcaraz a once-in-a-generation talent, he’s someone tennis fans simply adore watching.

That’s hardly surprising, given the astonishing brand of tennis he plays, said Stuart Fraser in The Times. While his game is founded on a mix of blistering power and “lightning speed”, he also has an array of subtler shots at his disposal – whether perfectly weighted topspin lobs or the most feathery and delicate of drop shots. His matches are full of dazzling rallies that leave those watching them gasping in wonder.

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What’s more, he seems to take “pure joy from competing, even in the middle of the night”, said Matthew Futterman in The New York Times. Alcaraz’s route to the final involved three gruelling five-setters in a row – including a monumental quarter-final against Jannik Sinner that didn’t finish until 2.50am. Such exertions would have exhausted most players, but however tired he was really feeling, Alcaraz continued to look fresh and energised right to the end of Sunday’s final.

The Spaniard is undoubtedly the “best teenager in men’s tennis since Rafael Nadal nearly two decades ago”, said Bryan Armen Graham in The Guardian. And his emergence feels well-timed, given that the triumvirate who have long dominated the men’s game – Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer – are all approaching the end of their careers. But while it’s tempting to assume that the “era of the Big Three” is about to give way to the era of the “Big One”, we should be wary of expecting too much of Alcaraz: tennis history, after all, is littered with players who never quite fulfilled their potential.

We should remember, too, that Alcaraz is by no means the sport’s only up-and-coming star, said Jake Nevins in the New York Magazine. Several other players rose to prominence at this US Open – including the 24-year-old American Frances Tiafoe, who reached his first grand slam semi-final, and runner-up Ruud, who is only 23. With players of such calibre competing alongside Alcaraz, the future of men’s tennis “looks pretty damn bright”.