Carlos Alcaraz was just a few points away from victory when the rain decided to take over. With the first set in his pocket at 6-4 and the second set locked in a tense tiebreak, the match between Alcaraz and Gael Monfils was shaping up to be a real battle.
The score stood at 6-6 in the second set, with Monfils leading the tiebreak 3-1, when the rain interrupted their second-round match at the ATP Cincinnati 2024 tournament. Now, both players will have to wait until Friday the 16th, to see who comes out on top—although the weather forecast isn’t looking too friendly.
The match started with both players holding strong on their serves, keeping the rallies short. But it didn’t take long for Alcaraz to turn things up a notch. He began extending the points, forcing Monfils into some errors, including a few double faults. This early aggression allowed him to take control of the first set helping Alcaraz gain the upper hand.
Monfils, however, wasn’t going down easily. He started to close in on Alcaraz, though it wasn’t enough to snatch the first set. Alcaraz used his variety of shots—slices, drop shots, and net approaches—to rack up the points.
As long as the court was, Alcaraz was fast enough to keep the rallies short, he was in charge. Monfils’ best chance was to rely on his serve, which improved as the match went on.
The first real trouble for Alcaraz came in the second set. Monfils applied pressure in the sixth game, and Alcaraz had to save four break points to keep the score even. Monfils, refusing to give up, gradually picked up the pace and began to challenge Alcaraz more. After a minor scare with his physical condition, Monfils found his rhythm and tried to stretch the match into a third set.
As the second set reached its final stages, both players held their serves with nerves of steel, especially Alcaraz, who saved a set point to push for a tiebreak. In the tiebreak, Monfils jumped to an early lead, putting Alcaraz under pressure. But before they could finish, the rain poured down, forcing the match to be postponed.
Now, both players will resume their match on Friday with the winner having to play another match later that day against 15th seed Holger Rune.
Alcaraz, playing his first hard-court tournament since March and fresh off winning a silver medal at the Paris Olympics, will have to shake off the nerves and come out strong. The stakes are high—not only for this match but for the entire Cincinnati Masters.
In the meantime, seventh seed Casper Ruud and Felix Auger-Aliassime, who were supposed to play their second-round match, will also have to wait. Whoever wins will have to face Jack Draper later that day.
