Cincinnati Open: Carlos Alcaraz suffers shock exit by the hands of Frenchman Gael Monfils | Tennis Information

Carlos Alcaraz suffered a shock second-round exit on the Cincinnati Open by the hands of veteran Frenchman Gael Monfils in a rain-delayed conflict.

The match was left balanced on a knife’s edge on Thursday night time when rain cancelled play for the night time after Alcaraz took the primary set 6-4 however discovered himself down 3-1 within the second-set tie-break.

After they returned to motion below shiny however windy circumstances on Friday, it was 37-year-old Monfils who turned the match round to seal a surprising 4-6 7-6 (7-5) 6-4 success towards the second seed.

Alcaraz was taking part in his first hard-court event since Miami in March, and his first occasion since profitable a silver medal on the Paris Olympics.

Monfils might want to pull double obligation in Ohio, the place he’ll return later to face fifteenth seed Holger Rune within the third spherical.

Defeat for Alcaraz means he won’t overtake Novak Djokovic within the ATP rankings this week.

German Alexander Zverev can go each by profitable the title in Cincinnati and change into world No 2 and second seed on the US Open, avoiding each Djokovic and Alcaraz earlier than the ultimate.

Zverev reached the quarter-finals with a 7-5 7-6 (8-6) victory over Spain’s Pablo Carrero Busta.

Story of the Tape

Bonjour Skai!

Why did Alcaraz smash his racket?

“I’ve seen him smash a racket as soon as earlier than however not within the method that he did it right here. That was fairly one thing. It was like a strain cooker completely exploding. He was clearly effervescent below the floor,” mentioned Annabel Croft on Sky Sports activities Tennis.

Tim Henman mentioned: “Why is he so pissed off when he is solely been on court docket in all probability for 15-20 minutes in the present day? That is in all probability one thing to do with the circumstances.

“Whenever you mirror on a few of the unforced errors and a few of the errors he made, it simply goes to indicate that he is human. He’ll want a little bit of time to decompress.”

Felix Auger-Aliassime recorded the milestone fiftieth Masters 1000 win of his profession with a 6-3 6-1 victory over Casper Ruud to arrange a gathering with British No 1 Jack Draper afterward Friday.

And Andrey Rublev loved a cushty passage to the last-eight, defeating American Brandon Nakashima 7-6 (7-5) 6-1.

Rublev will now play world No 1 Jannik Sinner within the quarter-finals, whose third spherical opponent Jordan Thompson withdrew earlier than their match due to a rib damage.

Within the ladies’s draw, high seed Iga Swiatek defeated Marta Kostyuk to achieve the Cincinnati Open quarter-finals, advancing 6-2 6-2 in 70 minutes.

Swiatek will subsequent face both Jasmine Paolini, the French Open and Wimbledon finalist, or 17-year-old Mirra Andreeva as she bids to achieve the semi-finals for a second yr operating.

Third seed Aryna Sabalenka made it by to the quarter-finals with victory towards Elina Svitolina 7-5 6-2.

The 2-time Grand Slam champion faces tenth seed Liudmila Samsonova for a spot within the final 4 on Saturday.

What’s developing on Sky Sports activities Tennis?

Within the run-up to the ultimate Grand Slam of 2024 – the US Open – you’ll be able to watch all the largest tennis stars in motion stay on Sky Sports activities as they compete throughout the hard-court season.

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

Watch the WTA and ATP Excursions all through 2024 on Sky Sports activities Tennis. Stream Sky Sports activities Tennis and extra with a NOW Sports activities Month Membership. No contract, cancel anytime.