Carlos Alcaraz takes on Casper Ruud on Sunday in the 2022 U.S Open men's final, and a pair of monumental achievements are on the line. The winner will get his first Grand Slam title and also will ascend to No. 1 when the new ATP World Rankings are released Monday. The fifth-seeded Ruud, who lost the 2022 French Open to Rafael Nadal, defeated Karen Khachanov in four sets in their semifinal matchup Friday night. Alcaraz has burst onto the scene even more quickly than many expected, and now he seeks his first major title at age 19. The Spaniard has fought through three straight marathon matches, and now he will need to dig deep once more against a player who has been under the spotlight of a final before.
First serve is set for 4 p.m. ET at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York City. Caesars Sportsbook lists Alcaraz as the -230 favorite (risk $230 to win $100) in its latest 2022 U.S. Open Alcaraz vs. Ruud men's tennis odds. Ruud is a +175 underdog, the Over/Under for total games played is 39.5 and Alcaraz is favored by 3.5 games on the spread. Before making any Ruud vs. Alcaraz picks or 2022 U.S. Open predictions, be sure to check out the latest tennis predictions from SportsLine's Sean Calvert.
Calvert is the elite handicapper who called Stan Wawrinka winning the 2014 Australian Open at 60-1 -- the last Australian title won by someone other than Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal or Roger Federer. Calvert also took down a huge score on Dominic Thiem winning the 2019 Indian Wells title at 80-1, among many stunning calls. In addition, Calvert nailed Ruud making the 2022 French Open final, winning big for anyone who backed him.
In Friday's men's semifinals, Sean cashed in huge, as he hit four of his six picks. They included Alcaraz to lose the first set to Tiafoe before winning the match (+450). Bettors who followed his advice and bet $100 on each play earned a profit of more than $1,000.
Now, Calvert has locked in on the 2022 U.S. Open men's final matchup and revealed his best bets. You can head to SportsLine now to see them.
Top Alcaraz vs. Ruud predictions
Alcaraz has been touted as a generational talent for a couple of years now. Still, his surge from 2021 Australian Open qualifier to potential Grand Slam winner and World No. 1 has been rapid. His well-rounded game, with a powerful forehand he can hit for winners from anywhere, can confound any opponent. He also is adept at backing opponents off with his heavy groundstrokes and catching them with tricky drop shots. His serve has been his only "weakness," but his second serve is one of the best on the tour, as he wins 56.3 percent of his second-serve points.
The young Spaniard has been really tough to beat since he turned pro in 2018, and he is 137-35 over the past three seasons. He leads the ATP Tour in match wins this season, going 50-9 (20-4 on hard courts). Alcaraz has faced Ruud twice in his career, and he won both matchups in straight sets. He defeated the Norwegian 7-5, 6-4 on the hard court to win the Miami Open in April, one of two Masters 1000 victories among his five career titles. The 19-year-old showed little sign of fatigue Friday against Tiafoe, hitting 78 winners in that match.
Still, Alcaraz has spent more than 13 hours on the court over his past three matches, and he played the late match Friday, so Ruud should be relatively fresh. The 23-year-old kept Khachanov off balance with his cross-court forehands throughout the semifinal. After beating huge-serving Khachanov and Matteo Berrettini, Ruud will welcome the relatively weaker serves of Alcaraz. Ruud has been perceived as a clay-court specialist, with eight of his nine career titles coming on that surface. But he has reached two finals and is 17-5 on hard courts in 2022.
Ruud has won 84.5 percent (219 of 259) of his service games on hard courts this season, and outside of the grass courts, he has been consistently good. He had a stellar clay-court run that included his runner-up at Roland Garros, a Geneva Open title and a semifinal run at the Italian Open. Ruud had 10 aces Friday, committed one double fault and won 59 percent of his second serves (23 of 39). Ruud has played three four-set matches, but just one five-setter, so he should have fresher legs. He also should have an edge having played in a Grand Slam final before. See who Calvert is backing here.
How to make Ruud vs. Alcaraz picks
Calvert has analyzed Ruud vs. Alcaraz from all angles and released his advice on which 2022 U.S. Open men's final picks could pay off in a huge way. You need to see his picks and analysis before considering any 2022 U.S. Open men's tennis bets.
So who wins Alcaraz vs. Ruud in the 2022 U.S. Open men's final? And which picks could lead to a big return? Visit SportsLine now to see Sean Calvert's best bets for Ruud vs. Alcaraz, all from the renowned tennis expert who called Wawrinka winning the Australian Open at 60-1.
