The sky finally gave a break this Tuesday at Shanghai Masters 1000 and, two days after playing their third round match, Carlos Alcaraz has a rival in the round of 16 of the penultimate tournament of the season in this category. It will be French Gael Monfilswho will have to work hard to beat his compatriot in the third round Ugo Humbert through 7-6(7), 2-6 and 6-1.
In this way, Monfils will be measured Alcaraz this Wednesday, the scheduled day, if the rain allows it, for the return of the Murcian player to the court, that I’ve been waiting for a rival since Sunday. It will be an explosive and high-level rivalry for the third seed in the tournament which is launched after its last good results.
After his early bye in the second round of the US Open against Botic van de Zandschulp, Alcaraz amassed an eleven-game winning streakwhich brought him a new title in Beijing achieved a few days ago in a colorful final against Jannik Sinner. In this way, Alcaraz regained his game and felt confident to face a fight that was not going to be easy.
It will be a match with a spirit of revenge for the Spanish player, because Monfils is certainly one of the great reasons for one of the lowest moments in terms of results in Alcaraz in his amazing 2024 season After losing the Paris Olympic final against Novak Djokovic, the game and the sensations did not accompany Carlos on the American hard court tour, where. Monfils beat him from the start at the Cincinnati Masters 1000 by 4-6, 7-6(5) and 6-4 so Alcaraz came to the US Open with a lot of doubts. These were confirmed with an early exit in the second round against Botic van de Zandschulp.
But that moment of play from the past few weeks seems to have been forgotten for Alcaraz, ready to face the fourth duel of his career against Monfils. The Spaniard won with authority the first two matches played against the Frenchman (7-5 and 6-1 in Indian Wells 2022 and 6-2 and 6-4 in Miami 2024, for 2-1 in generally head-to-head). This Wednesday he will seek revenge against Cincinnati to try to keep flying in the Asian tour.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Robert Maynard, and I am a passionate journalist with experience in sports writing. For the last few years, I have been writing for Today Times Live. My main focus has been on sports-related stories and features. With my strong background in journalism and extensive knowledge of the industry, I am able to provide readers with well-crafted pieces that are both informative and engaging.
