Frustrating US Open defeat ends Daniel Vallejo’s historic debut

Daniel Vallejo began his historic direct debut in the US Open main draw with authority, then watched it slip away against Gaël Monfils.

The Paraguayan took the first set 6-2 at Louis Armstrong Stadium after breaking the Frenchman’s serve twice. Deep groundstrokes, precise hitting and a firm serve allowed Vallejo to play aggressively and confidently against a rival who initially struggled to respond.

The match changed sharply in the second set. Monfils drew on his experience, improved his serving and put pressure on Vallejo’s delivery. He leveled the match with a 6-1 set, then took the third 6-2 after capitalizing on Vallejo’s unforced errors.

Vallejo could not recover his opening intensity in the fourth set. Monfils controlled the play, secured three consecutive breaks and closed out the match 6-0 after two hours and 22 minutes. The Frenchman won 58% of all points, compared with 42% for Vallejo, and took 79% of points behind his first serve, against Vallejo’s 57%.

For Vallejo, the 2-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-0 defeat ended a first direct appearance in New York’s Grand Slam main draw that had started with the promise of a major upset.