Cincinnati Open: Carlos Alcaraz suffers a shock at the hands of France’s Gael Monfils

Carlos Alcaraz suffered a second-round shock at the Cincinnati Open at the hands of veteran Frenchman Gael Monfils in a rain-delayed clash.

The match was tied on a knife’s edge on Thursday night when rain canceled the game for the night after Alcarazi won the first set 6-4, but lost 3-1 in the tie-break of the second set.

When they returned to action in clear but windy conditions on Friday, 37-year-old Monfils turned the match around to seal a stunning 4-6 7-6 (7-5) 6-4 success against the second seed.

Alcaraz was playing her first hard-court tournament since Miami in March and her first event since winning the silver medal at the Paris Olympics.

Monfils will have to pull double duty in Ohio, where he will return later to face the 15th Holger Rune in the third round.

Alcaraz’s loss means he will not overtake Novak Djokovic in the ATP rankings this week.

Germany’s Alexander Zverev can overtake both by winning the title in Cincinnati to become world number two and second seed at the US Open, avoiding both Djokovic and Alcaraz before the final.

Zverev advanced to the quarterfinals, beating Spain’s Pablo Carrero Busta 7-5 7-6 (8-6).

The story of the tape

Hi Skai!

Why did Alcaraz smash his bat?

“I’ve seen him smash the club once before, but not the way he did it here. It was something. It was like a pressure cooker that completely exploded. He was clearly bubbling under the surface,” Annabel Croft said. Sky Sports Tennis.

Tim Henman said: “Why is he so frustrated when he’s probably only been on the pitch for 15-20 minutes today? It’s probably got to do with the conditions.

“When you think about some of the unforced errors and some of the mistakes that he’s made, it just shows that he’s human. He needs a little bit of time to sort out the offense.”

Felix Auger Alias recorded a career milestone 50th Masters 1000 win with a 6-3 6-1 victory over Casper Ruud to set up a meeting with British No.1 Jack Draper later on Friday.

And Andrei Rublev enjoyed a comfortable passage to the last eight, defeating American Brandon Nakashima 7-6 (7-5) 6-1.

Rublev now faces world number one Jannik Sinner in the quarterfinals, whose third-round opponent Jordan Thompson withdrew before his match with a rib injury.

Top ranking in the women’s draw Iga Swiatek defeated Marta Kostyuk to reach the quarterfinals of the Cincinnati Open, advancing 6-2 6-2 in 70 minutes.

Swiatek will next face either Jasmine Paolini, a French Open and Wimbledon finalist, or 17-year-old Mirra Andreeva as she bids to reach the semifinals for the second consecutive year.

Third seed Aryna Sabalenka advanced to the quarterfinals with a 7-5 6-2 win over Elina Svitolina.

The two-time Grand Slam champion will face 10th-ranked Liudmila Samsonova on Saturday for a place in the top four.

What’s coming up on Sky Sports Tennis?

Before the last Grand Slam tournament of 2024 – the US Open – you can follow all the biggest tennis stars in action. live on Sky Sports when they compete during the tough field.

• Cincinnati Open (ATP 1000) – until August 19
• Cincinnati Open (WTA 1000) – Until August 19
• Winston-Salem Open (ATP 250) – 18.-24. August
• Tennis in the Land, Cleveland (WTA 250) – 18.-24. August
• GNP Seguros Open, Monterrey (WTA 500) – 19-24 August
• US Open (ATP/WTA) – August 26 – September 8

Watch the WTA and ATP tours through 2024 on Sky Sports Tennis. Stream Sky Sports Tennis and more with NOW Sports Month membership. No contract, cancel anytime.