Carlos Alcaraz was eradicated by French veteran Gael Monfils within the second spherical of the Cincinnati Open attributable to heavy rain.
Alcaraz received the primary set 6-4 on Thursday evening however fell behind 3-1 within the second-set tie-break earlier than rain canceled the evening’s play and the match grew to become tense.
Once they returned to motion on Friday in sunny however windy circumstances, the 37-year-old Monfils turned the tables on the second seed 4-6 7-6 (7-5) 6-4 .
It was Alcaraz’s first hard-court match since Miami in March and his first since profitable a silver medal on the Paris Olympics.
Monfils might want to pull double obligation at Ohio State, the place he’ll return later to face the No. 15 seed Holger Ruhn Within the third spherical.
Alcaraz’s loss means he will be unable to surpass Novak Djokovic within the ATP rankings this week.
German Alexander Zverev can win in Cincinnati to turn out to be the world’s second seed and the second seed on the US Open, avoiding Djokovic and Alcaraz forward of the ultimate.
Zverev defeated Spain’s Pablo Carrero Busta 7-5 7-6 (8-6) to succeed in the quarterfinals.
tape story
Good day Skye!
Why did Alcaraz smash his racket?
Annabel Croft stated in an interview: “I’ve seen him smash the racket earlier than, however not like he did right here. It was simply superb. It was like a stress cooker fully exploded. He Apparently effervescent below the floor. sky sports activities tennis.
Tim Henman stated: “Why was he so pissed off as we speak after solely being on the courtroom for 15 or 20 minutes? It might need one thing to do with the circumstances.
“If you replicate on a few of the unforced errors and a few of the errors he made, he is human. He wants a while to decompress.”
Felix Auger-Aliassime He beat Casper Ruud 6-3 6-1 for his fiftieth profession Masters 1,000 victory and arrange a gathering with British primary Jack Draper afterward Friday (Jack Draper) assembly.
and Andrei Rublev Simply superior to the quarterfinals, defeating American Brandon Nakajima 7-6 (7-5) 6-1.
Rublev will now face world primary Janik Sinner within the quarter-finals, with Sinner’s third-round opponent Jordan Thompson withdrawing earlier than the match attributable to a rib damage.
Within the girls’s draw, high seed Iga Swiatek The Cincinnati Open lasted 70 minutes and superior to the quarterfinals, defeating Marta Kostyuk 6-2 6-2.
Swiatek will subsequent face French Open and Wimbledon finalist Jasmine Paolini, or 17-year-old Mira Andreeva, who will attain the semifinals for the second yr in a row.
What’s coming to Sky Sports activities Tennis?
On the eve of the final Grand Slam of 2024, the US Open, you possibly can watch all of tennis’s greatest stars compete sky sports activities dwell once they compete throughout the onerous courtroom season.
- Cincinnati Open (ATP 1000) – Deadline August 19
- Cincinnati Open (WTA 1000) – Ends August 19
- Winston-Salem Open (ATP 250) – August 18-24
- Cleveland Land Tennis (WTA 250) – August 18-24
- GNP Seguros Open, Monterrey (WTA 500) – August 19-24
- US Open (ATP/WTA) – August 26 – September 8
Watch WTA and ATP Tour occasions all through 2024 on Sky Sports activities Tennis. Watch Sky Sports Tennis and more with a NOW Sports Monthly Membership. No contract, cancel anytime.