Trailing by a set when the match was interrupted the day before, the 37-year-old Frenchman ended up beating the world number 3 on Friday in the United States.
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Not bad for someone who was hammering home to the press that “the sensations [n’étaient] not there” before his entry into the competition. At almost 38 years old, Gaël Monfils managed to eliminate Carlos Alcaraz in the second round of the Masters 1000 in Cincinnati (4-6, 7-6 [7-5]6-4), Friday August 16. And this, only two days after having disposed of theAustralian Alexei Popyrin, recent winner of the no less prestigious Montreal tournament.
Despite losing the first set on Thursday, the Frenchman did not collapse, holding on to the world number 3 in the second set until the tie-break. This was finally postponed until the following day due to a rain interruption and “La Monf” won brilliantly.
Continuing his momentum, the 46th player in the ATP managed to steal his Spanish opponent’s serve at 2-1 in the third set, to win a few games later. Enough to make us forget his disappointment at the Paris Olympics, where he was eliminated in the first round by the Australian. Thanasi KokkinakisTo reach the quarter-finals, Gaël Monfils will have to achieve a new feat against the Dane Holger Rune, seeded number 15.
