Frustrated Carlos Alcaraz Smashes His Racket in 3-set Loss to Gael Monfils at Cincinnati Open

Carlos Alcaraz of Spain celebrates a point against Ben Shelton of the USA during the men's second round match at the 2023 National Bank Open tennis tournament in Toronto, Canada, 09 August 2023. (EPA)
Carlos Alcaraz of Spain celebrates a point against Ben Shelton of the USA during the men's second round match at the 2023 National Bank Open tennis tournament in Toronto, Canada, 09 August 2023. (EPA)
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Frustrated Carlos Alcaraz Smashes His Racket in 3-set Loss to Gael Monfils at Cincinnati Open

Carlos Alcaraz of Spain celebrates a point against Ben Shelton of the USA during the men's second round match at the 2023 National Bank Open tennis tournament in Toronto, Canada, 09 August 2023. (EPA)
Carlos Alcaraz of Spain celebrates a point against Ben Shelton of the USA during the men's second round match at the 2023 National Bank Open tennis tournament in Toronto, Canada, 09 August 2023. (EPA)

Carlos Alcaraz repeatedly smashed his racket on the court in a rare show of frustration on Friday, and the four-time Grand Slam winner fell to Gael Monfils 4-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-4 at the Cincinnati Open.

In a match that was suspended by rain on Thursday night with the players in a second-set tiebreaker, the 37-year-old Monfils advanced by taking the last two sets from the second-seeded Alcaraz, who called the loss his "worst match."

"I felt like it was the worst match that I´ve ever played on my career," Alcaraz said. "I´ve been practicing really well. I was feeling great. But I couldn´t play. I want to forget it and try to move on to New York."

Trailing 3-1 in the tiebreaker when the match was halted, Alcaraz was hoping for a reset when play resumed Friday. But, the No. 3 player in the ATP rankings wasn't able to control his emotions.

"It never happened before, because I could control those feelings," Alcaraz said. "Today I couldn´t. I was feeling that I was not playing any kind of tennis. It was really frustrating for me. At some point, I didn´t want to be on the court anymore."

Alcaraz was playing his first match since earning a silver medal at the Paris Olympics after losing to Novak Djokovic, who also beat him last year in the Cincinnati final.

Monfils returned to the court later Friday and lost to No. 15 seed Holger Rune 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.

"It was a big win for me against Carlos, unexpected to be honest," Monfils said. "To play again in a couple hours against (another) good and younger player, I knew it would be tough."

In women's action, top-ranked Iga Swiatek advanced to the quarterfinals with a convincing 6-2, 6-2 win over Marta Kostyuk.

Swiatek bounced back with a more complete performance after losing a second-set tiebreak on Wednesday before outlasting France's Varvara Gracheva.

"Today, I just kept my intensity at a high level all the time," Swiatek said. "It didn't really matter to me what the score was, I just wanted to continue playing my game. I focused on myself."

No. 3 Aryna Sabalenka also advanced with a 7-5, 6-2 victory over Elina Svitolina, but No. 5 Jasmine Paolini, the runner-up at the French Open and Wimbledon, lost to Mirra Andreeva 3-6, 6-3, 6-2.

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova upset No. 7 and Olympic gold medalist Zheng Qinwen 7-5, 6-1. Spaniard Paula Badosa defeated Yulia Putintseva, who upset Coco Gauff on Thursday, 6-4, 6-4.

Top men to advance included No. 1 Jannik Sinner, who got a walkover against Jordan Thompson on his 23rd birthday, No. 3 Alex Zverev, No. 5 Hubert Hurkacz, No. 6 Andrey Rublev and 12th-ranked American Ben Shelton.



Reports: Liverpool Agree to Sign Frankfurt Striker Ekitike

Eintracht Frankfurt striker Hugo Ekitike (L) is reportedly set to join Liverpool. Daniel ROLAND / AFP
Eintracht Frankfurt striker Hugo Ekitike (L) is reportedly set to join Liverpool. Daniel ROLAND / AFP
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Reports: Liverpool Agree to Sign Frankfurt Striker Ekitike

Eintracht Frankfurt striker Hugo Ekitike (L) is reportedly set to join Liverpool. Daniel ROLAND / AFP
Eintracht Frankfurt striker Hugo Ekitike (L) is reportedly set to join Liverpool. Daniel ROLAND / AFP

Liverpool have agreed to sign Eintracht Frankfurt striker Hugo Ekitike in a deal worth an initial £69 million ($92 million), according to reports on Monday.

The Premier League champions switched their focus to Ekitike following Newcastle's refusal to sell Sweden striker Alexander Isak, who is valued at around £150 million by the Magpies, AFP said.

Newcastle and Manchester United were also interested in Ekitike, but Liverpool look set to win the race for one of Europe's hottest young stars.

It is believed the Reds have agreed to pay a potential further £10 million in add-ons to sign the 23-year-old Frenchman, whose overall price tag could reach £79 million.

Once the transfer is completed, Ekitike will link up with Arne Slot's side on their pre-season tour of Asia.

Ekitike scored 22 goals in 48 games in all competitions for Frankfurt last season after joining the Bundesliga club from Paris Saint-Germain.

He was an unused substitute during his side's pre-season friendly against FSV Frankfurt on Saturday, with Eintracht boss Dino Toppmoller admitting Ekitike's impending departure was "a bitter loss".

Liverpool have an opening in their forward line after Diogo Jota's recent death in a car crash in Spain.

The Reds are also believed to be willing to sell Uruguay striker Darwin Nunez, while Colombia forward Luis Diaz has been the target of a rejected bid from Bayern Munich.

Liverpool have already splashed out £116 million on Germany playmaker Florian Wirtz, as well as signing defenders Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez from Bayer Leverkusen and Bournemouth respectively.

Georgia goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili has also linked up with Arne Slot's side since the end of last season after agreeing his move from Valencia in 2024.