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Rafael Nadal's early loss at the 2022 Cincinnati Open kept Daniil Medvedev atop the ATP rankings for at least three more weeks going into the US Open. The battle for the World No. 1 spot in the ATP rankings is well and truly on after a stunning result in Cincinnati saw Borna Coric win the tournament at the expense of the top contenders for the title and the No. 1 ranking.
Medvedev lost in the semifinals to Stefanos Tsitsipas, who then lost to Coric in the final of the Masters 1000 tournament in Ohio. While Medvedev continued to reign at the top of the rankings, Tsitsipas re-entered the top 5. Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz are at No. 3 and 4 respectively ahead of the US Open, while the injured Alexander Zverev retains second spot for the time being.
The results in Cincinnati have set up an interesting battle for the World No. 1 spot between as many as five players at the US Open. We look at the permutations and combinations, the contenders for the top spot and how they can achieve this feat in New York.
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1) Rafael Nadal
22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal has a chance not just to extend his lead in the all-time Grand Slam title race in men's tennis, but also to become the new ATP No. 1 for the first time since January 2020. If Nadal wins the 2022 US Open, he will become the No. 1 regardless of the result of any of the other top contenders. The Spaniard will become the No. 1 even if he loses the US Open final to any player other than current No. 1 Medvedev.
While these results are optimum for the Spaniard, there are more scenarios that support his cause for the top spot. If he loses at the semifinals stage, he has to hope that neither Medvedev, Tsitsipas, Alcaraz, nor Casper Ruud win the title. The Spaniard can also become No. 1 by reaching the quarterfinals, provided neither Medvedev nor Tsitsipas reach the final and neither Alcaraz nor Ruud win the title.
Additionally, the 36-year-old could also become No. 1 regardless of his own result if neither of the four players mentioned above reaches the US Open final.
2) Daniil Medvedev
The current World No. 1's scenario to retain his ranking looks rather simple, but he has a not-so-simple task ahead of him to get there. Medvedev needs to reach the final of the 2022 US Open to have a chance to retain the top spot. If he ends up defending his title, Medvedev will retain his spot in the rankings regardless of the results of the other contenders in the race.
The Russian player has a chance to stay at No. 1 even if he loses in the final. However, for that to happen, he has to hope that neither Tsitsipas, Alcaraz, nor Ruud reach the final along with him and Nadal loses before the semifinals stage.
3) Stefanos Tsitsipas
Currently ranked 5th in the ATP rankings, Stefanos Tsitsipas is another contender in the race to become the top-ranked player after the US Open. Similar to Medvedev, Tsitsipas also needs to reach the final to have a chance to become No. 1. However, the Greek player is not confirmed for the top spot even if he wins the title.
Also Checkout:- US Open 2022 Results
Tsitsipas will earn the No. 1 spot if he wins the US Open final against any player other than Nadal, who will secure the spot by reaching the final in this case. Again, similar to Medvedev, Tsitsipas has a chance to become No. 1 even if he loses in the final. But for that to happen, he has to hope that neither Medvedev, Alcaraz, nor Ruud reach the final along with him and Nadal loses before the semifinals stage.
4) Carlos Alcaraz
World No. 4 Carlos Alcaraz has a great chance to improve on his already career-best season on tour by becoming the World No. 1 as a teenager three weeks from now. Alcaraz, who has won the joint-most singles titles (4) on the ATP tour this year, needs to at least reach the US Open final for a chance to become the top-ranked male player. Alcaraz's scenario bears a lot of resemblance to that of Tistsipas.
Alcaraz has to reach the final and hope that Nadal is not his opponent there as he will not become No. 1 even by winning the title in such an instance.
Additionally, he can earn the top spot even if he loses the final, but to any player other than Medvedev, Tsitsipas, and Ruud. In this scenario, he also has to hope that his fellow Spaniard Nadal loses before the quarterfinals stage.
5) Casper Ruud
Casper Ruud, currently No. 7 in the rankings, is the fifth and final contender for the World No. 1 ranking. The 2022 French Open finalist has been a 'player to watch out for' on hardcourts this year as well. He needs to reach the final of the US Open, which is the bare minimum for him to become the newly crowned World No. 1. He can reach the top spot only if he wins the final against any player other than Nadal.
Additionally, he can earn the top spot even if he loses the final, but his opponent in the final has to be any player other than Medvedev, Tsitsipas, and Alcaraz. In this scenario, he also has to hope that Nadal loses before the quarterfinals stage.
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