2022 US Open: Can Casper Ruud dethrone Daniil Medvedev to become the new World No. 1?

Norwegian tennis sensation Casper Ruud stormed his way into the summit clash of the 2022 US Open, after picking up a 7-6 (5), 6-2, 5-7, 6-2 victory over Karen Khachanov. He claimed a 55-shot point to win the first set and displayed his skills throughout the match to defeat the a 6-foot-6 Russian, who had earlier defeated Wimbledon 2022 runner-up Nick Kygrios in the semi-final. While Ruud will now make his second Grand Slam final appearance of 2022 in a bid to win his first event major title, he also has the chance to dethrone Daniil Medvedev in the Men’s Singles ATP Player Rankings. 

Casper Ruud eyes maiden Grand Slam win & World No. 1 title in US Open 2022 final

The 23-year-old Ruud currently ranks 7th in the ATP rankings with a total of 4695 points to his credit. On the other hand, the current World No. 1 Medvedev tops the chart with a total of 6885 points. As per a report by ATP Tour, if Carlos Alcaraz reaches the final by defeating Frances Tiafoe in the semis, both Ruud and Alcaraz will fight for their first-ever Grand Slam title and also the World No. 1 title. 

Meanwhile, heading into the US Open 2022 semi-final, Rafael Nadal was the World No. 1 in the ATP Live Rankings, followed by Alcaraz at No. 2 and Ruud at No. 3. This implies that the winner of the US Open 2022 final on Monday will go on to become the World No. 1. It is pertinent to mention that, regardless of who replaces Medvedev at the top of the rankings, both Alcaraz and Ruud will finish the final Grand Slam tournament of the year with career-high rankings. 

Daniil Medvedev's rise to the top of ATP Rankings

Medvedev became the World No. 1 in February this year, after reaching the Australian Open 2022 final against Nadal. He replaced 21-time Grand Slam champion, Novak Djokovic, at the top step, whose 2022 campaign has been affected due to the Covid-19 vaccination norms in different countries. Nadal won the Australian Open 2022 and French Open 2022, which took him to the World No. 3 spot ahead of US Open 2022. While Djokovic didn’t feature in US Open 2022, Medvedev and Nadal exited the final major tournament of the year with respective losses in the Round of 16.