Gael Monfils Upsets Carlos Alcaraz After Rain Delay Victory at 2024 Cincinnati Open
Gael Monfils was on fire as he stunned world No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz with scores of 4-6, 7-6 (5), 6-4 to cause a big upset at the 2024 Cincinnati Open.
Rain caused the match to be postponed, but Monfils still managed to record his biggest win of the year. When bad weather forced them to postpone their third round until Friday, the French veteran was leading Alcaraz in the second-set tiebreaker. When play resumed, Monfils won his first match in the Top 5 this season.
In the 2024 Cincinnati Open, Gaël Monfils defeated Carlos Alcaraz 4-6, 7-6 (5), 6-4 to record his biggest victory of the year. Monfils brought sunshine to the court after the rain.
Rain forced to reschedule their third-round match until Friday afternoon, but Monfils took a 1-0 lead in the second-set tiebreaker on Thursday night. Monfils was behind the world No. 3 by a set. After leveling the match upon return, Monfils won in two hours and 29 minutes on Center Court, storming to his first Top 3 triumph in more than two years (2022 BNP Paribas Open, d. Daniil Medvedev).
In his 13th visit to the Lindner Family Tennis Center, the 37-year-old fan favorite—who is competing alongside wife and fellow player Elina Svitolina—had only advanced to the quarterfinals once, back in 2011. Monfils had not won since early July due to a hectic schedule that included traveling from Wimbledon grass back home to Paris for the Summer Olympic Games. This put pressure on the former world No. 6 to perform well in Cincinnati.
Having defeated Alexei Popyrin, the winner of the National Bank Open, last week in the opening round, Monfils was full of praise for the 21-year-old Alcaraz, whom he had lost to in two previous meetings, including the Miami Open earlier this year.
In his mixed zone post-match statement earlier this week, Monfil described himself as a “complete athlete,” citing his speed, stamina, and power. Of course, his tennis game is also very complete. It can be challenging to see where you can hit on the backhand or forehand. He’s serving large and has made great progress on the return. He is simply a really well-rounded player.
For me, he is currently the same person I saw as Roger, Rafa, and Novak. Even though he’s not quite grown up yet, he’s already legendary.
Even though the head-to-head was lopsided, Center Court was packed for what looked to be an exciting match between Monfils and Alcaraz, the current Wimbledon and Roland Garros champion. The Spaniard, who was participating in his first match since winning a silver medal at the Olympics, outplayed Monfils early on to win the first set.
The second set, which proceeded on serve through all 12 games to force a tiebreaker, saw things go closer. When Monfils won the first three points, he appeared to be running away with the Sudden Death, but Alcaraz scored a point right before the rain caused the game to be stopped.
The fans erupted when Monfils used his mini-break advantage to earn three set points and convert his third to end the match. Both players had tight serve games to start the third set, but Monfils turned the tables on Alcaraz, who surprisingly lost his cool after trailing by a break. Monfils survived two break points on his own service.
As Monfils established a 3-1 lead and got closer to pulling off the upset, the No. 2 seed broke his racquet. Alcaraz’s coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero, urged him to maintain composure, but Monfils applied more pressure, making the inexperienced player serve in order to continue the game.
Alcaraz outplayed Monfils to prevent match point on serve as they were about to lose, but Monfils stood up for himself and created two match points from the back of the court. Monfils crossed the finish line with a final powerful serve to advance to his first Queen City quarterfinal and signed a heartfelt message to his daughter Skaï for the camera.
Later in the afternoon, Monfils will return to the court to face No. 15 Holger Rune, who defeated Nuno Borges on Thursday in straight sets.
Carlos Alcaraz Calls Cincinnati Open Loss to Gael Monfils “Worst Match” After Frustrating Outburst
The dramatic racquet destruction Carlos Alcaraz performed after his Cincinnati Open loss to Gaël Monfils will live on in memory on August 16, 2024. Though he usually maintained a calm exterior, Alcaraz’s rare outburst of rage came when he called the match the “worst ever.”
In the third set, Monfils’ holding of the serve to take a 3-1 lead was crucial. Visibly furious, Alcaraz violently smashed his racquet into the court, smashing it into pieces that looked like avant-garde art. Roger Federer’s dramatic outburst against Novak Djokovic in 2009 brought back memories. Alcaraz said, “I’ve never reacted like that before.” “I felt like I was completely out of sync and not playing any kind of tennis.”
Match Result:
Round of 32 – Men’s Singles:
Gael Monfils (FRA): 4, 7, 6
Carlos Alcaraz (ESP) [2]: 6, 6, 4
Alcaraz was clearly frustrated, especially considering how dominant he had been in the first part of the game. With remarkable ease, he broke Monfils early in the first set and managed to hold serve without facing a break point. But Monfils successfully changed his approach, using a combination of strong serves and different groundstrokes to break Alcaraz’s rhythm.
Monfils maintained himself in the match by making tactical changes such alternating slicing and topspin strokes, even though Alcaraz dominated the opening set. Rain stopped the game, which appeared to stop Alcaraz’s momentum. After play resumed, Monfils prevailed in a tiebreaker to win the second set and finally grabbed the lead in the third.
Alcaraz’s annoyance increased as he wasted multiple opportunities for breaks and committed uncharacteristic mistakes. Monfils took advantage of these errors to win in the end.
Alcaraz gave himself a hard time for his performance after the game. He declared, “It was the worst match I felt I ever played in my career.” He mentioned that his poor performance might have been caused by the Center Court’s surface and conditions, which felt different from his practice sessions.
What was once expected to be a spectacular tennis display became a lesson in patience and tactical play. Monfils proved that his skill and tactical play could match up with the best players in the world.
In the future, Alcaraz intends to adjust to various circumstances and concentrate on forthcoming competitions, such as the US Open. Even if this loss has frustrated him, he is still committed to moving on from the match and getting ready for new challenges.
