Ruud’s victory removes Nadal from number one

The mystery of who will be the next number in the ATP ranking is clearing up more and more. The latest news is that it is already confirmed that Rafa Nadal will not occupy first place next Monday. Casper Ruud’s victory in the semifinals of the US Open against the Russian Karen Khachanov makes the Norwegian reach the final in New York, with which surpasses the Balearic Islands in the virtual classification and leaves Nadal without number one options. The one from Manacor needed both Ruud and Alcaraz to lose in their respective semifinals, something that will no longer be fulfilled after the first of the two duels. Now, Ruud is waiting to know the result of the semifinal between Alcaraz and Tiafoe, since a defeat for the Murcian would make him officially become the next top man in men’s tennis. The situation changes slightly for the Murcian: before it was enough for him to reach the final as long as Ruud did not do the same, so now Carlitos is forced to lift the title to be number one.

After beating Khachanov, Ruud reaches the second Grand Slam final of his career and already adds 5,850 points, more than the 5,810 with which Nadal stayed after saying goodbye to the US Open in the round of 16. The Norwegian, who came to this US Open as number seven in the world, has seen his locker increased by 1,155 points, since 1,200 are awarded for reaching the final of a major and Ruud was barely defending 45 last year, when he was eliminated in the second round. Nadal, therefore, is out of the game and, although he is guaranteed the top-3 no matter what, the next to beat him may be Alcaraz.

The Murcian is the only player, besides Ruud, with a chance of being the next number one. To avoid Casper being officially number one today, Carlitos is obliged to win his semifinal against Tiafoe to continue in the fight, since, otherwise, Ruud will be first. If the one from El Palmar manages to reach the first Grand Slam final of his career, he will add 5,940 points and will also overtake Nadal. In the event that Alcaraz reaches the final and faces an already qualified Ruud, the winner of the US Open will have a double prize and take it all: He will win the first Grand Slam of his career and will also become number one in the ATP ranking for the first time.

This is the fight for number one waiting for Alcaraz-Tiafoe

*Numbers in bold indicate who would be number one in each round based on the results of the US Open