Carlos Alcaraz faced a shocking defeat in the second round of the Cincinnati Open, losing to veteran Gael Monfils in a rain-delayed match. The game was evenly poised on Thursday night when rain interrupted play after Alcaraz won the first set 6-4 but was trailing 3-1 in the second set tie-break.
Upon resuming play on a bright and windy Friday, Monfils, at 37 years old, staged a comeback to secure a remarkable 4-6 7-6 (7-5) 6-4 victory over the second seed Alcaraz.
Alcaraz, competing in his first hard-court tournament since Miami in March and his first event since winning a silver medal at the Paris Olympics, will now need to regroup for future challenges.
Monfils, on the other hand, will face 15th seed Holger Rune in the third round, hoping to continue his momentum in Ohio.
Unfortunately for Alcaraz, this defeat means he will not be surpassing Novak Djokovic in the ATP rankings this week. The door remains open for German Alexander Zverev, who could potentially climb to the second spot by winning the Cincinnati title, allowing him to avoid Djokovic and Alcaraz before a potential final at the US Open.
Tale of the Tape
Bonjour Skai!
Monfils, married to Elina Svitolina, greeted their daughter Skai via the camera after the match
Felix Auger-Aliassime notched his 50th Masters 1000 win by defeating Casper Ruud 6-3 6-1, setting up a clash with Jack Draper. In the women’s event, Iga Swiatek dispatched Marta Kostyuk 6-2 6-2 to move into the quarter-finals of the Cincinnati Open.
Swiatek’s next challenge will be against either Jasmine Paolini or Mirra Andreeva as she aims to reach the semi-finals for the second consecutive year.
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