Carlos Alcaraz suffered a shock second-round exit at the Cincinnati Open at the hands of veteran Frenchman Gael Monfils in a rain-delayed clash.
The match was left balanced on a knife’s edge on Thursday night when rain cancelled play for the night after Alcaraz took the first set 6-4 but found himself down 3-1 in the second-set tie-break.
When they returned to action under bright but windy conditions on Friday, it was 37-year-old Monfils who turned the match around to seal a stunning 4-6 7-6 (7-5) 6-4 success against the second seed.
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Alcaraz took his frustration out on his racket during an intense contest against Monfils
Alcaraz was playing his first hard-court tournament since Miami in March, and his first event since winning a silver medal at the Paris Olympics.
Monfils will need to pull double duty in Ohio, where he will return later to face 15th seed Holger Rune in the third round.
Defeat for Alcaraz means he will not overtake Novak Djokovic in the ATP rankings this week.
German Alexander Zverev can pass both by winning the title in Cincinnati and become world No 2 and second seed at the US Open, avoiding both Djokovic and Alcaraz before the final.
Tale of the Tape
Bonjour Skai!
Monfils, who is married to Elina Svitolina, signed the camera to say hello to their daughter, Skai
Felix Auger-Aliassime recorded the milestone 50th Masters 1000 win of his career with a 6-3 6-1 victory over Casper Ruud to set up a meeting with British No 1 Jack Draper later on Friday.
In the women’s draw, top seed Iga Swiatek defeated Marta Kostyuk to reach the Cincinnati Open quarter-finals, advancing 6-2 6-2 in 70 minutes.
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Highlights of the match between Iga Swiatek and Marta Kostyuk
Swiatek will next face either Jasmine Paolini, the French Open and Wimbledon finalist, or 17-year-old Mirra Andreeva as she bids to reach the semi-finals for a second year running.
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