Carlos Alcaraz avenges Cincinnati loss to Gael Monfils in Shanghai

10/09/2024 07:12 AM

World no. 2 Carlos Alcaraz is safely through into the Shanghai Masters quarter-final. Carlos met Gael Monfils in the fourth round and ousted the veteran 6-4, 7-5, avenging the Cincinnati Masters defeat and remaining on the title course. The Spaniard sealed the deal in an hour and 27 minutes, delivering his 51st victory of the season and moving into the tenth quarter-final. The four-time Major winner played another rock-solid match, taking 78% of the points behind the first and second serve and defending the only break point he faced in the middle of the opening set. Gael fought well against the better-ranked opponent, firing ten aces and following Carlos' pace behind the first serve. However, he struggled on the second and faced six break points, losing serve once in each set and ending his campaign in the fourth round. Thus, Monfils became the oldest player to achieve that in Shanghai since Roger Federer in 2019. World no. 2 fired 22 winners and 16 unforced errors, with the veteran following that after a 23-15 ratio.

The older player fired six service winners more, but the younger had the upper hand from the baseline and at the net. Nothing separated them in the shortest and most advanced exchanges. Alcaraz took charge in the mid-range ones, overpowering his opponent and forging the win in that segment. Gael held at 15 in the first game of the encounter, closing it with a service winner and adding his name to the scoreboard. Carlos mirrored that in the second game, firing a booming serve and leveling the score at 1-1. The Spaniard extended the third game with a backhand down the line winner before the Frenchman claimed it with an unreturned serve, opening a 2-1 gap. The young gun followed that pace in game four, notching a hold at 15 with a service winner and locking the result at 2-2 after 12 minutes. Monfils fell on his right arm in the first point of the fifth game but stayed composed, holding after the rival's backhand error and moving 3-2 ahead.

World no. 2 came from 0-30 in the sixth game with winners before facing a break point after a careless forehand. The Spaniard denied it with a powerful serve and held with another, remaining on the positive side. Serving like in his best days, Gael cracked a backhand down the line winner in the seventh game, moving 4-3 up and keeping the pressure on the other side. Carlos felt none of it in game eight, holding at love and raising his level on the return in the next one. The Frenchman kicked off the game with a forehand winner before losing the edge, facing two break points after a powerful forehand attack from the four-time Major winner. Alcaraz painted a backhand crosscourt winner on the second, sending his rival to the ground and opening a 5-4 advantage. The young gun started the tenth game with a forehand drive-volley winner and drew the rival's mistake for three set points. World no. 2 converted the second with a service winner, moving 6-4 in front after 36 minutes.

Monfils made a fresh start in the second set and closed the first game with a service winner. Carlos mirrored that in the second game for 1-1 before Gael fired a powerful serve in the next one for a hold at love and 2-1. The Spaniard claimed an incredible point in the fourth game, bringing it home at love and locking the result at 2-2. The veteran experienced a set back in the fifth game, squandering four game points and landing a backhand long to offer his opponent a break chance. Alcaraz wasted it, allowing his rival to close the game with a service winner and remain in touch. The better-ranked player wrapped up the sixth game with a booming serve and painted a forehand crosscourt winner two games later for a hold at love and 4-4. Unlike the opening set, Monfils served well in the ninth game, closing it with a service winner and forging another advantage.

Carlos served to stay in the set at 4-5 and experienced a deuce following a routine mistake from the baseline. The young gun cracked a forehand down the line winner and brought the game home with a crafty volley winner at the net for 5-5 and a boost. They were heading toward a tie break when the Frenchman fired a service winner for a 40-0 lead in the 11th game. The Spaniard stepped in and imposed his strokes, reaching a deuce with a drop shot winner and a break point with a forehand down the line winner. Gael saved it with a service winner and denied the second after a backhand error from his opponent. Finally, Alcaraz converted the third break point after Monfils' loose forehand, opening a 6-5 lead and serving for the win. The young gun fired a service winner for two match points and seized the first with a forced error, booking his place in the quarter-final.