Monfils Birthday US Open Win
Gael Monfils celebrates his 40th birthday with a dramatic comeback win at the US Open.
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Key Points
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Monfils faced Paraguay's 22-year-old Adolfo Daniel Vallejo, highlighting the newcomer's relative inexperience as one of the younger opponents the veteran defeated to advance.
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This US Open marks Monfils' 18th appearance at the tournament, with his best run in New York coming in 2016 when he reached the semifinals.
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Despite the win, Monfils is currently ranked about 311st in 2026 after playing only a handful of events this season as part of his farewell tour.
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The day also touched a broader veteran storyline in tennis, with fellow longtime competitor Stan Wawrinka playing his final Grand Slam the day earlier.
Gael Monfils turned 40 and won. The French tennis star defeated Paraguay's Adolfo Daniel Vallejo 2-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-0 at the US Open on his birthday, advancing to the second round in his farewell season BBC. Monfils became the oldest player to win a main-draw US Open match since Jimmy Connors in 1992, thrilling a New York crowd with his signature flair and left-handed shotmaking My Twin Tiers.
A Birthday Comeback From Two Sets Down
Monfils started rough, losing the first set 2-6 to the 22-year-old Vallejo Freedom 96.9. Then he flipped a switch. The veteran won 11 straight games across sets two and three, then shut out Vallejo in the fourth set 6-0. The crowd sang Happy Birthday as Monfils celebrated with his trademark bows and theatrics Citizen Digital.
Monfils' 18th US Open and Likely Final Chapter
This marks Monfils' 18th appearance at the US Open. His best result here came in 2016 when he reached the semifinals. Now ranked around 311th after playing only a handful of events this season, he is using this tournament as part of his farewell tour before retiring BBC. His next opponent is Learner Tien in round two.
A Veteran's Final Run Captures Tennis Fans
Monfils' win came the same day fellow veteran Stan Wawrinka played his final Grand Slam match. At 40 years old, Monfils is giving fans one last taste of the entertaining, acrobatic tennis that made him a crowd favorite for nearly two decades BBC. He thanked New York for the support and vowed to keep playing well in the tournament.
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