Learner Tien Ends Gael Monfils’ Final Grand Slam Run at US Open

Learner Tien brought Gael Monfils’ final Grand Slam appearance to an end on Thursday night, defeating the French veteran 6-3, 6-4, 6-3 in the second round of the US Open. The Guardian reported that the 20-year-old American advanced to the third round at Flushing Meadows for the first time with the straight-sets victory.

Watch the highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGQzUYB2hXA

Tien, the No. 14 seed, controlled the match through patient baseline play and sustained rallies at Louis Armstrong Stadium. Monfils produced 29 winners to Tien’s 20, but the American’s defense repeatedly forced him to play additional shots. Tien secured a decisive break in the third set and protected a break point late in the match as Monfils searched for a route back.

The defeat closed the Grand Slam chapter of Monfils’ 22-year professional career. The 40-year-old has said he plans to retire after the 2026 season. He received a wildcard for the US Open after falling to No. 311 in the rankings and had played only two tour-level events since the French Open.

Monfils had already supplied one final memorable run in New York. He reached the mixed doubles semifinals alongside his wife, Elina Svitolina, before beating Adolfo Daniel Vallejo 2-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-0 in the singles first round. That victory came on his 40th birthday and made him the oldest man to win a US Open singles match since Jimmy Connors in 1992, according to the Guardian.

The Frenchman leaves Grand Slam competition with two major semifinals on his record: the 2008 French Open and the 2016 US Open. He rose as high as No. 6 in the world and won nearly 600 singles matches, while becoming known for his athletic movement and improvisational shot-making during an era led by Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray.

US Open organizers marked the occasion with an on-court ceremony, presenting Monfils with a framed photograph before a career montage played on the stadium video board. Tien, meanwhile, moved forward to a new personal milestone in New York after overcoming one of the tour’s longest-serving and most recognizable competitors.