Frenchman falls in straight sets to No 14 seed
Monfils, 40, will retire at end of 2026 season
Tien reaches US Open third round for first time
It would have felt more fitting if Gaël Monfils went out with a roar, with a five-set epic matching the reputation he has built as tennis’s great showman.
He may have preferred the kind of bow he made at his home French Open earlier this year, a thrilling five-set fightback that ended well after midnight, or one that had a few more of his dazzling signature shots, like the mid-air forehand that stole the show in his first-round win this week.
