At the Cincinnati Open, co-favorite Carlos Alcaraz surprisingly loses to Frenchman Gaël Monfils in three sets. During the match, the Spaniard even dismantles his tennis racket out of frustration.
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- Less than two weeks after losing the final in the Olympic final in Paris, Carlos Alcaraz is eliminated from the Masters 1000 tournament in Cincinnati after a walk-through in the second round.
- The Spaniard, ranked No. 2, lost to Frenchman Gaël Monfils 6:4, 6:7 (5:7), 4:6 in a match that had been interrupted the day before due to rain.
- The 37-year-old Monfils is 16 years older than Alcaraz. However, he also had to retire against Holger Rune from Denmark.
Olympic silver medalist Carlos Alcaraz, who triumphed at the French Open and Wimbledon this year, usually remains impressively confident on the tennis court. The 21-year-old Spaniard often smiles between important rallies.
But at the Masters in Cincinnati, the world number 3 showed a different, unfamiliar face on Friday in the round of 16 against Gaël Monfils. The match was abandoned on Thursday evening due to rain. Alcaraz was still leading against Monfils 6:4, 6:6(1-3). But the Frenchman took the tie-break in the second set when play resumed.
The veteran managed an early break in the deciding set in windy conditions, which the 37-year-old was able to defend at 2:1 from one point of view. Much to Alcaraz's annoyance. The four-time Grand Slam winner smashed his racket in frustration after the game. The young Spanish star also received a warning for his angry outburst. Monfils managed his lead and beat the favorite 6:4 in the third set.
While the Frenchman was able to celebrate his biggest win on the tour for a long time, Alcaraz was stunned at the press conference after the early exit - it was only his eighth defeat of the season: "That was the worst match I've ever played in my career."
Monfils' joy did not last long, however. Just hours after the coup, the Frenchman had to play his round of 16 match - and was beaten in three sets by Holger Rune (ATP 16) from Denmark.
