Carlos Alcaraz suffered a shock defeat in the second round of the Cincinnati Open, losing to veteran Frenchman Gael Monfils in a match that was postponed due to rain.
The match got tense on Thursday night when Alcaraz took the first set 6-4 but trailed 1-3 in the second-set tiebreaker and play was called off for the day because of rain.
Play resumed on Friday in sunny but windy conditions and the 37-year-old Monfils turned the tide of the match with a stunning 4-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-4 victory over the second seed.
Alcaraz was competing in his first hard-court tournament since Miami in March and his first tournament since winning silver at the Paris Olympics.
Monfils will have to juggle two duties in Ohio, where he will later face the No. 15 seed. Holger Rune In the third round.
Alcaraz’s loss means he will not be able to overtake Novak Djokovic in the ATP rankings this week.
Germany’s Alexander Zverev can pass both men if he wins in Cincinnati, become world number two and the second seed at the U.S. Open and avoid both Djokovic and Alcaraz before the final.
Zverev beat Pablo Carrero Busta of Spain 7-5, 7-6 (8-6) to reach the quarterfinals.
The story of the tape
Bonjour Sky!
Monfils, who is married to Elina Svitolina, signed autographs for the cameras to say hello to his daughter, Skye.
Why did Alcaraz break his racket?
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Tim Henman and Annabel Croft talk about Alcaraz’s rare meltdown
“I’ve seen him hit a racket once but never the way he did it here. That was incredible. It was like a pressure cooker exploding. It was clearly bubbling under the surface,” Annabel Croft said. Sky Sports Tennis.
“Why is he so frustrated when he was probably only on the court for 15 or 20 minutes today? It’s probably something to do with the conditions,” Tim Henman said.
“When you look back at some of the self-destructive mistakes and failures he’s made, you know he’s human too. He’s going to need some time to de-escalate.”
Felix Auger-Aliassime He beat Casper Ruud 6-3, 6-1 to record his 50th Masters 1000 win and set up a match against British number one Jack Draper later on Friday.
and Andrey Rublev He beat American Brandon Nakashima 7-6 (7-5) 6-1 to comfortably reach the quarterfinals.
Rublev will face world number one Jannik Sinner in the quarterfinals, but Sinner’s third-round opponent, Jordan Thompson, withdrew before the match due to a rib injury.
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Iga Swiatek vs Marta Kostyuk match highlights
Top seed in the women’s draw Iga Swiatek She defeated Marta Kostyuk 6-2, 6-2 in 70 minutes to reach the quarterfinals of the Cincinnati Open.
Swiatek will next face either French Open and Wimbledon finalist Jasmine Paolini or 17-year-old Mila Andreeva, who is seeking to reach the semifinals for the second consecutive year.
What will be broadcast on Sky Sports Tennis?
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