NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 01: Gael Monfils of France celebrates defeating Adolfo Daniel Vallejo of Paraguay during their Men's Singles First Round match on Day Three of the 2026 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 01, 2026 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. Mike Stobe/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by Mike Stobe / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)
Playing on his 40th birthday, Monfils opened shakily against Adolfo Daniel Vallejo of Paraguay, but decisively turned the tables after the first set for a 2-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-0 win.
Monfils, who will retire after this season, played with his trademark showmanship, offering exaggerated bows after embellishing a putaway shot in the fourth set with a leap in the air.
Evidence of approval came when the crowd joined an impromptu performance of "Happy Birthday" after the match.
"You guys always make it electric, amazing," Monfils said in an on-court interview. "Let's keep it going for the second one."
This is Monfils' 18th appearance at the US Open. His best showing came in 2016 when he reached the semi-finals and lost to Novak Djokovic.
Monfils, who reached a career peak ranking of sixth in 2016, is down to 311th, having only played a handful of tournaments in 2026.
In contrast to Monfils, who is playing in his 70th Grand Slam tournament, Tuesday marked just the third of the 22-year-old Vallejo.
(For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.)
Short link: