Joe McConnell
Carlos Alcaraz suffered a shock second-round exit at the Cincinnati Open at the hands of French veteran Gael Monfils, in a match postponed due to rain.
The match remained in the balance on Thursday night when rain cancelled play for the evening after Alcaraz took the first set 6-4, but found himself trailing 3-1 in the second-set tie-break.
When they returned to action on Friday, in bright but windy conditions, it was the 37-year-old Monfils who turned the tide, sealing a stunning 4-6 7-6 (7-5) 6-4 victory over the second seed.
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Alcaraz took out his frustration on his racket during an intense match against Monfils
Alcaraz was playing his first hard-court tournament since March, in Miami, and his first event since winning the silver medal at the Paris Olympics.
Monfils will have to do double duty in Ohio, where he will return later to face the 15th seed Rune Holger in the third round.
Alcaraz’s defeat means he will not overtake Novak Djokovic in the ATP rankings this week.
Germany’s Alexander Zverev can surpass both goals by winning the title in Cincinnati and becoming the world No. 2 and second seed at the US Open, avoiding both Djokovic and Alcaraz before the final.
Zverev reached the quarterfinals with a 7-5 7-6 (8-6) victory over Spaniard Pablo Carrero Busta.
Tale of the tape
Hello Skai!
Monfils, married to Elina Svitolina, signed the camera to greet their daughter, Skai
Why did Alcaraz destroy his racket?
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Tim Henman and Annabel Croft Talk Rare Alcaraz Collapse
“I’ve seen him hit a racket once before, but not the way he did it here. It was something extraordinary. It was like a pressure cooker completely exploding. He was clearly boiling under the surface,” Annabel Croft said on Vscek Tennis.
Tim Henman said: “Why is he so frustrated when he was only on the pitch for 15-20 minutes today? It’s probably to do with the conditions.
“When you look back on some of the unforced errors and some of the mistakes he made, it just shows that he’s human. He’s going to need some time to decompress.”
Felix Auger-Aliassime He earned his 50th career Masters 1000 victory, beating Casper Ruud 6-3 6-1, and will meet British No. 1 Jack Draper later on Friday.
AND Andrei Rublev He had a comfortable passage to the last eight, defeating American Brandon Nakashima 7-6 (7-5) 6-1.
Rublev will now face world No. 1 Jannik Sinner in the quarterfinals, whose third-round opponent Jordan Thompson withdrew before the match due to a rib injury.
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Highlights of the match between Iga Swiatek and Marta Kostyuk
In the women’s draw, first seed Iga Swiatek She defeated Marta Kostyuk to reach the quarterfinals of the Cincinnati Open, advancing 6-2 6-2 in 70 minutes.
Swiatek will next face Roland Garros and Wimbledon finalist Jasmine Paolini or 17-year-old Mirra Andreeva in a bid to reach the semifinals for the second consecutive year.
What’s happening on Vscek Tennis?
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