Carlos Alcaraz on Friday let loose his frustrations with a violent racket smash in a 4-6, 7-6 (7/5), 6-4 defeat at the ATP-WTA Cincinnati Open that he called the “worst match” of his career.
The reigning Roland Garros and Wimbledon champion could not match the wily skills of 37-year-old French opponent Gael Monfils.
“It was the worst match that I ever played in my career,” Alcaraz said. “I couldn’t play. I don’t know what happened. Honestly, I couldn’t, I couldn’t control myself. I couldn’t be better. It was impossible to win, and that’s all.”
Photo: Susan Mullane-USA Today
“I came here thinking I’m going to feel good,” the Spaniard added. “I’m going to put in a good tennis, because I know how to play on this court.”
Alcaraz said he had never before broken a racket in anger, but this match was the exception.
“It’s really difficult to find some good stuff from this match — I want to forget it and try to move on to New York” at the US Open, he said. “I’ll try to practice well, to get used to those courts. And I will forget this match.”
Photo: Susan Mullane-USA Today
Later on Friday, Holger Rune of Denmark ended Monfils’ run, winning 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.
The others in the men’s quarters were: Andrey Rublev, Jannik Sinner, Alexander Zverev, Ben Shelton, Hubert Hurkacz, Jack Draper and Frances Tiafoe.
In the women’s singles, top seed Iga Swiatek defeated Marta Kostyuk for the second time this season, powering into the quarter-finals 6-2, 6-2.
Top-ranked Swiatek finished off the victory efficiently after struggling through three sets in the previous round to defeat Varvara Gracheva.
Swiatek secured the opening set in 31 minutes and was untroubled as she rolled through the second.
“I’m happy that I kept my intensity, in the first match, it got a little bit down, but I was ready in every game, “Swiatek said. “I’m happy I was solid. I was disciplined with all the things that I wanted to take care of.”
The others to advance to the quarters were: Liudmila Samsonova, Aryna Sabalenka, Mirra Andreeva, Leylah Annie Fernandez, Paula Badosa, Jessica Pegula and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.
If the Wild finally break through and win their first playoff series in a decade, Minnesota’s top line likely will be the reason. They were all over the Golden Knights through the first two games of their NHL Western Conference quarter-finals series, which was 1-1 going back to Minnesota for Game 3 today. The Wild tied the series with a 5-2 win on Tuesday. Matt Boldy had three goals and an assist in the first two games, while Kirill Kaprizov produced two goals and three assists. Joel Eriksson Ek, who centers the line, has yet to get on the scoresheet. “I think the biggest
From a commemorative jersey to a stadium in his name, Argentine soccer organizers are planning a slew of tributes to their late “Captain” Pope Francis, eulogized as the ultimate team player. Tributes to the Argentine pontiff, a lifelong lover of the game, who died on Monday at the age of 88, have been peppered with soccer metaphors in his homeland. “Francisco. What a player,” the Argentine Football Federation (AFA) said, describing the first pope from Latin America and the southern hemisphere as a generational talent who “never hogged the ball” and who showed the world “the importance of having an Argentine captain,
Noelvi Marte on Sunday had seven RBIs and hit his first career grand slam with a drive off infielder Jorge Mateo, while Austin Wynn had a career-high six RBIs as the Cincinnati Reds scored their most runs in 26 years in a 24-2 rout of the Baltimore Orioles. Marte finished with five hits, including his eighth-inning homer off Mateo. Wynn hit a three-run homer in the ninth off catcher Gary Sanchez. Cincinnati scored its most runs since a 24-12 win against the Colorado Rockies on May 19, 1999, and finished with 25 hits. Baltimore allowed its most runs since a 30-3 loss to
Arne Slot has denied that Darwin Nunez was dropped from Liverpool’s win against West Ham because of a training-ground row with a member of his coaching staff. The Liverpool head coach on Sunday last week said that Nunez was absent from the 2-1 victory at Anfield, having felt unwell during training the day before, although the striker sat behind the substitutes throughout the game. Speculation has been rife that the Uruguay international, whom Slot criticized for his work rate against Wolves and Aston Villa in February, was left out for disciplinary reasons. Asked on Friday to clarify the situation, Slot said: “He
RSS