Monfils Marks Historic 40th Birthday Victory as Gauff Overcomes Serve Crisis at US Open
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French veteran Gael Monfils celebrated his 40th birthday with a dominant straight-sets triumph over Paraguay's Adolfo Daniel Vallejo at the US Open, winning 2-6 6-1 6-2 6-0 to become the oldest man to claim a main-draw victory at the tournament in over three decades. The milestone achievement carries particular weight as Monfils has signalled this will be his final appearance at Flushing Meadows before retiring from professional competition.
American prospect Coco Gauff advanced past her opening match by defeating Turkey's Zeynep Sonmez 6-3 6-4, conquering a year-long struggle with serving mechanics that had previously undermined her performance and resulted in an early tournament exit. With her once-troubled serve now operating as a key strength rather than a weakness, the 22-year-old demonstrated renewed composure on court and the mental resilience required to overcome the technical setback.
- Monfils became the oldest US Open main-draw winner in 34 years on his 40th birthday, likely his tournament farewell
- Gauff overcame chronic serving difficulties to secure a convincing first-round victory with her previously weak shot now a reliable asset
- Two contrasting narratives of resilience dominated the opening round—veteran milestone achievement and youthful redemption
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Monfils and Vallejo faced off in the first round of the US Open, a Grand Slam tennis tournament held annually in New York. Monfils, a French player who turned 40 the day of the match, is one of the sport's longest-serving competitors and has said this will be his last appearance at the event before he retires.
Coco Gauff, an American player and former Grand Slam champion, has spent much of the past year battling a shaky serve, a technical problem that had at times cost her matches and dented her confidence. Her win over Turkey's Zeynep Sonmez was watched partly as a test of whether that issue had been resolved.
The US Open is one of tennis's four biggest annual tournaments, and early-round results like these are often used to gauge which players are in form heading into the later, more competitive stages.
Full account
Gaël Monfils celebrated his 40th birthday by recovering from a difficult opening set to beat Paraguay’s Adolfo Daniel Vallejo 2-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-0 in the first round of the US Open. The Frenchman’s victory made him the oldest male player to win a main-draw match at the tournament since Jimmy Connors did so on his own 40th birthday in 1992.
Monfils, appearing at Flushing Meadows for the final time before his planned retirement at the end of the season, was initially unsettled against the world number 60. He then took control with his movement, variety and forehand, recording what was described as his 131st Grand Slam match win, a French men’s record. Fans on Louis Armstrong Stadium sang Happy Birthday after the match, and he said the New York atmosphere remained especially meaningful to him. He will next face American 14th seed Learner Tien.
Coco Gauff began her home campaign with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Turkey’s Zeynep Sönmez, with renewed confidence in her serve central to the result. The fourth seed opened strongly and used her delivery to escape pressure in the second set, after Sönmez threatened to establish a break advantage.
Gauff’s performance followed a year in which serving problems had dominated attention around her US Open title defence. After changing her coaching set-up and working with biomechanics specialist Gavin MacMillan, she has sought a more dependable ball toss and improved positioning through the serve. She still leads the WTA Tour for double faults this season, according to the report, but her average has fallen and recent evidence, including her Cincinnati title run, suggested greater accuracy without a loss of pace.
Where outlets differ
The Monfils report concentrates on the birthday milestone, his place in US Open history, his farewell tournament and the crowd’s celebration. The Gauff report instead frames its match around a longer technical recovery from serving difficulties and the coaching changes behind it.
Only the Monfils report provides detailed match context for his opponent, ranking, retirement plans and next-round opponent. The Gauff report gives more background on technique, double-fault figures and her recent form, but the supplied extract ends before its full match account is complete.