WHAT HAPPENED: Former world No. 8 Diego Schwartzman of Argentina bid farewell to the Grand Slam stage on a humid Monday evening at the US Open, bowing out in the opening round against Frenchman Gael Monfils, 6-7(2), 6-2, 6-2, 6-1.
Schwartzman, 32, earlier this year announced that he planned to retire on home turf in Buenos Aires in February 2025, and that the 2024 US Open would be the final Grand Slam appearance of his decade-and-a-half-long pro career.
“It’s difficult to speak. I’m a guy who cries a lot,” said an emotional Schwartzman, who shared a warm embrace with Monfils at the net. “I’m not supposed to cry now. I have to be strong. I thank the entire crowd today and the years before, all the Latin American people, all the American people here—I don’t know why they take care of me. I’m not sure if I deserve it or not. I’m really grateful.”
Schwartzman was treated to a screening of career highlights, and presented with a framed photo collage.
“I never dreamed of these kinds of moments,” he added.
Amidst chants of "Ole, ole, ole, ole, Diego, Diego!" from his fútbol-mad countrymen in the Grandstand, Schwartzman did his best to prolong the occasion. He would save two set points serving at 4-5, 15-40 in the opener and eventually took the stanza in a tiebreak.
But Monfils, 37, came storming back in this battle of former Top-10 competitors. The 45th-ranked veteran has been playing with new life of late. He was coming off an inspired Round-of-16 run at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Cincinnati, where he stunned defending champion and world No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz.
Schwartzman, meanwhile, appeared to be running on empty after playing his way through three rounds in the qualifying draw. He didn’t drop a set in defeating Italy’s Andrea Pellegrino, Argentine Thiago Agustin Tirante and Lithuania’s Vilius Gaubas in succession after nearly two months away from the court.
Recently engaged to Eugenia De Martino, Schwartzman was into the US Open main draw for the 11th year in a row.
There were some hard-luck draws early on for Schwartzman in Flushing Meadows: He drew former champions Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and countryman Juan Martin del Potro in either the first or second round in his first three main-draw appearances between 2014 and 2016. But the fan favorite would go on to reach the quarterfinals in 2017 and 2019, collecting upsets of former champion Marin Cilic and Alexander Zverev in the process.
Schwartzman’s most productive year came in pandemic-abbreviated 2020, when he snapped an 0-9 skid against Rafael Nadal en route to the ATP Masters 1000 final in Rome, then upended world No. 3 Dominic Thiem to reach a career-best semifinal on the terre battue of Roland Garros. He would also make his lone appearance at the ATP Finals, and finish inside the Top 10 in the year-end rankings. He owns four career titles, all coming on clay.
WHAT IT MEANS: Monfils will next face eighth seed Casper Ruud of Norway, a 7-6(2), 6-2, 6-2 winner over China’s Bu Yunchaokete in Stadium 17. Their career head-to-head stands even at 1-1, with Ruud having claimed their most recent encounter earlier this year in Indian Wells, 3-6, 7-6(3), 6-4, in the Round of 16.
He is looking to match his best performance in Flushing Meadows, a semifinal finish in 2016.
MATCH POINT: Monfils will celebrate his 38th birthday on Sunday.
