Carlos Alcaraz showed rare frustration during the Cincinnati Open as he smashed his racket on the court before ultimately losing to Gael Monfils 4-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-4. The match, suspended due to rain with the players in a tiebreaker, saw Monfils come back to win the last two sets against the second-seeded Alcaraz. Following the defeat, Alcaraz referred to it as the “worst match” of his career and expressed a desire to move on to the upcoming tournament in New York.

Despite trailing 3-1 in the tiebreaker when play was halted, Alcaraz could not regain control of his emotions upon resumption on Friday, which he admitted was uncharacteristic of him. The young player recently earned a silver medal at the Paris Olympics and was playing his first match since then, having been defeated by Novak Djokovic in the final of last year’s Cincinnati Open.

Monfils, on the other hand, continued his momentum at Cincinnati by facing Holger Rune after defeating Alcaraz and aimed to become the oldest men’s quarterfinalist at the event in the professional era. The U.S. Open is scheduled to commence on Aug. 26.

In the women’s event, top-ranked Iga Swiatek secured a spot in the quarterfinals with a dominant 6-2, 6-2 win over Marta Kostyuk. Swiatek expressed satisfaction with her performance, noting her consistent high intensity throughout the match.

Aryna Sabalenka, seeded third, also progressed with a 7-5, 6-2 victory over Elina Svitolina. However, Jasmine Paolini, ranked fifth and a finalist at the French Open and Wimbledon, suffered a defeat at the hands of Mirra Andreeva 3-6, 6-3, 6-2.

Notable male players who advanced include top-seeded Jannik Sinner, who received a walkover on his birthday, as well as seeds Alex Zverev and Andrey Rublev.