Carlos Alcaraz defeats Gael Monfils, reaches quarter-finals in Shanghai | ATP Tour

Matching Report

Alcaraz defeats Monfils and reaches the quarter-finals in Shanghai

Spain will face Machac in the last four

October 09, 2024

Carlos Alcaraz lived up to his winning season on Wednesday as he claimed his 12th straight victory to advance to the quarter-finals of the Rolex Shanghai Masters.

Alcaraz was forced to fight hard for a 6-4, 7-5 win over Gael Monfils, becoming the first Spaniard to reach the last eight of the Chinese ATP Masters 1000 since 2017 (Nadal, Ramos-Vinolas). In a display of devastating football paired with incredible touch from both players, Alcaraz held his nerve to improve to 3-1 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series.

“The biggest thing I tried in this game was to stay calm, control my emotions and wait for my opportunities,” said Alcaraz, who improved to 51-9 on the season. “I had a few chances to break his serve at the beginning of the second set [and] I couldn’t take them. At those times, I tried to stay calm and think ‘I will have more’.

“That helped me a lot to show my best tennis during the match. I feel the ball well, more so than during the American swing. So, I’m happy to be able to do it and continue.”

The winning streak continues 😮‍💨@carlosalcaraz beat Monfils 6-4 7-5 to make it 12 in a row and book a place in the final eight in Shanghai.@SH_RolexMasters | #RolexShanghaiMasters pic.twitter.com/awYDshGIr3

– ATP Tour (@atptour) October 9, 2024

After defeating Alcaraz at the Cincinnati Open in August, the 38-year-old Monfils wanted to emulate that form and make history as the second ATP Masters 1000 quarter-finalist in the series’ history (since 1990), but from Spain. he had other ideas.

Alcaraz, who is now in his 14th quarter-final of the ATP Masters 1000, used his wit and cunning to defeat Monfils in a tough exchange. The 21-year-old looked sick as he stormed the court, winning 88 (7/8) points at the net, according to Infosys ATP Stats.

The first set was dominated by groundstrokes with both players backing up their explosives, but it was Alcaraz who was forced to win the first break point of the match in the sixth game. Monfils appeared to be in a strong position to grab the first goal, but a lapse in concentration gave his opponent a crucial break in the ninth game.

In the 10th game of the second set, Monfils hit two brutal forehand winners on his way to break the score line to break free and create tension inside the midcourt. However, Alcaraz kept his cool to come out of the game unscathed.

Alcaraz pulled off this momentum going into the final break in the next game. No. 2 in the PIF ATP Rankings then secured victory in one hour and 27 minutes to set up a quarter-final clash with Tomas Machac, who battled past eleventh seed Tommy Paul 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 in a thrilling contest of the fourth round.

Alcaraz continues to clash with Jannik Sinner, who battled past Ben Shelton 6-4, 7-6 (1), to meet in the last four. Alcaraz defeated the Italian last Wednesday in an impressive match to win his China Open title, his fourth this season (Indian Wells, Roland Garros, Wimbledon).

“It’s a good goal to reach the semifinals, let’s see if he can succeed,” said Alcaraz, who leads the Lexus ATP Head2Head series 6-4. “I have been watching his games before mine, he plays. at a high level, and it helps me to show well before I go on the field.”