Carlos Alcaraz faced a shocking second-round exit at the Cincinnati Open as he was defeated by veteran Frenchman Gael Monfils in a rain-delayed clash.
The match was delicately poised on Thursday night when rain interrupted play, with Alcaraz leading after claiming the first set 6-4, but struggling at 3-1 down in the second-set tie-break.
Returning to the court on Friday under bright and windy conditions, 37-year-old Monfils managed to turn the tide in his favor, securing a remarkable 4-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-4 victory against the second seed.
This defeat marks Alcaraz’s first hard-court tournament since Miami in March, and his first event following a silver medal win at the Paris Olympics.
Meanwhile, Monfils will be gearing up to face 15th seed Holger Rune in the third round in Ohio.
With this loss, Alcaraz will not be able to surpass Novak Djokovic in the ATP rankings this week. However, German player Alexander Zverev has the opportunity to climb up the rankings by winning the Cincinnati title, potentially securing the world No. 2 spot and the second seed at the US Open.
In other matches, Felix Auger-Aliassime notched his 50th Masters 1000 win with a commanding 6-3, 6-1 victory over Casper Ruud, setting up a follow-up encounter with British No. 1 Jack Draper later that Friday.
Switching to the women’s draw, top seed Iga Swiatek triumphed over Marta Kostyuk to secure a spot in the Cincinnati Open quarter-finals, advancing with a score of 6-2, 6-2 in 70 minutes.
Swiatek’s next challenge will come from either Jasmine Paolini, the French Open and Wimbledon finalist, or 17-year-old Mirra Andreeva as she aims to reach the semi-finals for the second consecutive year.
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