
Carlos Alcaraz suffered a shocking second-round exit at the Cincinnati Open against veteran Frenchman Gael Monfils after the match was delayed due to rain.
The match was tied Thursday night when Alcaraz won the first set 6-4 and was down 3-1 in the second set tiebreak when rain forced the match to be called off.
When he returned to action on Friday in bright but windy conditions, the 37-year-old Monfils turned things around with a stunning 4-6 7-6 (7-5) 6-4 win over the second seed.
Alcaraz was playing in her first hard-court tournament since Miami in March and her first since winning silver at the Paris Olympics.
Monfils will have to pull double duty in Ohio and will return later to face the No. 15 seed. Holger Rune In the third round.
Alcaraz's loss means he will not move ahead of Novak Djokovic in the ATP rankings this week.
Germany's Alexander Zverev could beat both players by winning the title in Cincinnati and becoming the world number two and second seed at the US Open, and avoid both Djokovic and Alcaraz before the final.
Zverev advanced to the quarter-finals with a 7-5 7-6 (8-6) win over Spain's Pablo Carrero Busta.
The story of the tape
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Why did Alcaraz commit fraud?
“I've seen him hit a racquet once, but never like he did here. It was incredible. It was like a pressure cooker completely bursting. He was clearly bubbling under the surface,” Annabel Croft said. Sky Sports Tennis.
Tim Henman said, “Why are you so frustrated after only being on the court for 15 or 20 minutes today? It's probably because of your conditioning.
“When you think about some of the unforced mistakes and missteps he's made, you realize he's human. He's going to need some time to unwind.”
Felix Auger-Aliassime He recorded his 50th Masters 1000 win of his career with a 6-3 6-1 win over Casper Rudd and will face British No. 1 Jack Draper on Friday.
and Andrey Rublev He comfortably advanced to the quarterfinals after defeating American Brandon Nakashima 7-6(7-5) 6-1.
Rublev will face world number one Yannick Sinner in the quarterfinals, after Sinner's third-round opponent Jordan Thompson withdrew before the match with a rib injury.
Number 1 seed in the women's draw Iga Swiatech She reached the quarterfinals of the Cincinnati Open by defeating Marta Kostyuk, winning 6-2 6-2 in 70 minutes.
Swiatek will next face either French Open and Wimbledon finalist Jasmine Paolini or 17-year-old Mira Andreeva, who is aiming to make it to the semi-finals for the second consecutive year.
Third seed Arina Sabalenka She advanced to the quarterfinals with a 7-5 6-2 win over Elina Svitolina.
The two-time Grand Slam champion will face No. 10 seed Liudmila Samsonova on Saturday for a spot in the last four.
What matches are on Sky Sports Tennis?
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- Cincinnati Open (ATP 1000) – Until August 19
- Cincinnati Open (WTA 1000) – Until August 19
- Winston-Salem Open (ATP 250) – August 18-24
- Tennis in the Land, Cleveland (WTA 250) – August 18-24
- GNP Seguros Open, Monterrey (WTA 500) – August 19-24
- US Open (ATP/WTA) – August 26 – September 8
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