Rain halts Alcaraz; defending champ Gauff crashes out

Carlos Alcaraz during his match against Gael Monfils in Mason, Ohio, on Thursday. Pic/AFP

Carlos Alcaraz was halted by rain on the brink of victory on Thursday, while defending women's champion Coco Gauff crashed out in her first match at the ATP and WTA Cincinnati Open. Spaniard Alcaraz, the reigning Wimbledon and French Open champion, led France's Gael Monfils 6-4, 6-6 (1/3) when rain halted play at the last major tuneup for the US Open, which starts on August 26.

Top seed Alcaraz, who lost to Novak Djokovic in last year's Cincinnati final, took a silver medal at the Paris Olympics, also dropping that final to Djokovic. Alcaraz is back on hardcourt for the first time since winning at Miami. He skipped last week's ATP Montreal Masters.

Gauff was eliminated earlier in a 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 upset loss to Kazakh spoiler Yulia Putintseva. A disappointed Gauff will go back to the drawing board before defending her US Open crown. Putintseva will next face Spain's Paula Badosa, who defeated Anna Kalinskaya 6-3, 6-2. Third seed Aryna Sabalenka polished her opening-match record at the event by defeating Italy's Elisabetta Cocciaretto 6-3, 6-4.

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