(VIDEO) Carlos Alcaraz utterly annihilates racquet during damning Monfils defeat at Cincinnati Open
ATP
The number 3 in the world ranking, Carlos Alcaraz, was defeated in his debut at the Cincinnati Open against Frenchman Gael Monfils in three sets. The Spaniard was not comfortable at any time during the match and was very frustrated with his game, as can be seen in the following video of him smashing his racquet to pieces.
Alcaraz arrived at the Cincinnati Open after a long break after the Olympic Games. The 21-year-old, a finalist in the 2023 edition of the tournament, had a tough match against Monfils, one of the veterans of the circuit who is always a challenge, especially on hard surfaces.
The match was scheduled for Thursday night in the United States but had to be suspended due to rain with the partial result 6-4 and 6-6 in favor of Alcaraz, being a proof of the difficulties that the Spaniard was having against his rival.
When the action resumed on Friday afternoon, Monfils came out with a better attitude, was able to close the second set in the tie break and send the match to the final set.
There, Alcaraz was more nervous and erratic than usual, which was evident when the Spaniard broke his racquet into pieces, in an extremely unusual gesture on his part.
In the end, Monfils would take his chance and close out the match with a 6-4 win in the third set after just over two hours of play. Alcaraz's quote post match too was certainly damning. “I think it was the worst match that I have ever played. It felt like a different sport," he said.
Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.
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