Gael Monfils becomes oldest US Open winner since Ken Rosewall in 1977
(Courtesy : Gael_Monfils/X)
Monfils defeated Paraguay’s Adolfo Daniel Vallejo in first round
Gael Monfils turned 40 on Tuesday, marking the occasion with a first-round win at the US Open, beating Paraguay’s Adolfo Daniel Vallejo 2-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-0 at the Louis Armstrong Stadium. The result makes him the oldest man to win a match at the tournament in the Open Era since Ken Rosewall, who won at 42 in 1977.
Monfils dropped the opening set after Vallejo won five straight games, but he steadied himself from there. He held serve to open the second set and then reeled off five consecutive games of his own to level the match. From that point, he controlled the contest, closing out the fourth set 6-0 to finish things off in style.
This is Monfils’ 34th career win at the US Open, the most by any French player in the tournament’s history. It also extends his all-time Grand Slam match win tally to 131, another French record.
This marks Monfils’ 18th appearance at the tournament. He was absent from the event in his first two attempts before making his proper debut in 2005 with a first-round finish, then a second-round finish the year after.
🇫🇷 Gael Monfils at 40 years is the oldest player to win a match at US Open in Open Era since 🇦🇺Ken Rosewall in 1977#USOpen https://t.co/ps0jjlcxaF pic.twitter.com/uDkzj3fXpx
— TennisMyLife (@TennisMyLife68) September 2, 2026
Monfils first reached the second week in 2008 with a run to the fourth round, repeated the feat in 2009, and then made his maiden US Open quarter-final in 2010. He added a second quarter-final in 2014 and a third in 2019, before his best result, a run to the semi-finals in 2016.
A rare feat in the modern game
Looking back over the last 50 years, only a couple of men aged 40 or above have won a match at the US Open. Rosewall did it in 1977 at 42.
Jimmy Connors won at almost exactly 40 in 1992, though official records list him as 39 years and 363 days at the time, just short of the milestone. That gap is what puts Monfils ahead of him on the list, since Monfils turned 40 on the very day of his win.
Monfils had already announced at the start of the 2026 season that this would be his final year on tour before retirement. He also competed in the mixed doubles event at this year’s US Open alongside his wife, Elina Svitolina, who has reached the Wimbledon semifinals twice in her career.
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Monfils’ next opponent is American Learner Tien, the 14th seed. The second-round match is scheduled for Thursday at Louis Armstrong Stadium.
How old was Gael Monfils when he won his US Open first-round match, and why is that significant?
Monfils was exactly 40 years old, having turned 40 on the day of the match. It’s significant because he’s now the oldest man to win a match at the US Open in the Open Era since Ken Rosewall did it at 42 in 1977, meaning no man has matched or beaten that age in nearly 50 years.
Who does Gael Monfils play next at the 2026 US Open?
Monfils faces American 14th seed Learner Tien in the second round, scheduled for Thursday at Louis Armstrong Stadium
What is Gael Monfils‘ current rank in ATP Singles?
Gael Monfils currently ranks 311th in the ATP Singles Ranking.