Carlos Alcaraz or Casper Ruud, who will be World No. 1 after Rafael Nadal's US Open exit?

Following Daniil Medvedev's loss to Nick Kyrgios on Monday, Rafael Nadal was tipped to become the new World No 1. However, Nadal's shocking exit on Tuesday meant that either Carlos Alcaraz or Casper Rudd now stands a chance to become the new World No 1. Second seed Rafael Nadal lost to Frances Tiafoe of US 4-6,6-4,4-6,3-6. Nadal was chasing his fifth title in New York and a record-extending 23rd Grand Slam crown after winning the Australian Open and French Open titles earlier this year.

US Open 2022: How can Carlos Alcaraz or Casper Rudd take the top spot?  

The US Open 2022 tournament began with Rafael Nadal, Carlos Alcaraz, Casper Ruud, Daniil Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas battling for the World No 1 position. Out of the five Nadal, Medvedev and Tsitsipas failed to reach the quarter-finals. Both Carlos Alcaraz or Casper Ruud have a chance of reaching the top of the men’s tennis ranking if they make it to the final of the US Open 2022. However, Nadal can still become world no 1 if neither of them reaches the final. If Alcaraz and Ruud meet in the championship match, the winner will take home the trophy and the top spot.

US Open: Rafael Nadal vs Frances Tiafoe match highlights 

The Rafael Nadal vs Frances Tiafoe battle at Arthur Ashe Stadium lasted for 3 hours and 31 minutes with Tiafoe earning his third Top 5 win. The first set witnessed, Tiafoe finding his range hitting groundstrokes with conviction and demonstrating his agility by chasing down everything that Nadal was throwing at him during the match. Just like in previous matches, Nadal despite being down by a set bounced back and capitalised on errors made by Tiafoe. The Spaniard won the second set 6-4. Tiafoe was able to put the disappointment behind him and served well in the third set to take a 2-1 lead in the match.

In the fourth set, Nadal raced to a 3-1 lead but Tiafoe stuck worked his way back into the set. The Americans won the next five straight games to seal the victory. Tiafoe’s victory against Nadal was the biggest win by an American at the US Open since James Blake defeated the Spaniard in the third round back in 2005. The 24-year-old also became the first American men's player to reach the quarterfinal at Flushing Meadows since John Isner in 2018 and the youngest to accomplish the feat since Andy Roddick in 2006.