NEW YORK (AP) — Gael Monfils stood in the middle of the court and bowed to the crowd that was treating the Frenchman to a roaring ovation on his 40th birthday.
The match was still a ways from ending. But after leaping in the air to smash a forehand winner — a daredevil shot that few outside one of tennis' ultimate showmen might even attempt — there was no reason to wait.
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Gael Monfils, of France, celebrates after defeating Adolfo Daniel Vallejo, of Paraguay, during the first round of the U.S. Open tennis championships Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
Gael Monfils, of France, celebrates after defeating Adolfo Daniel Vallejo, of Paraguay, during the first round of the U.S. Open tennis championships Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
Gael Monfils, of France, celebrates after defeating Adolfo Daniel Vallejo, of Paraguay, during the first round of the U.S. Open tennis championships Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
Gael Monfils, of France, takes a bow after winning a point against Adolfo Daniel Vallejo, of Paraguay, during the first round of the U.S. Open tennis championships Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
Monfils turned back the clock and pushed back the end of his Grand Slam career, beating Adolfo Daniel Vallejo 2-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-0 on Tuesday night at the U.S. Open.
Monfils became the oldest man to win a U.S. Open match since Jimmy Connors — another guy who loved to put on a show in New York — defeated Jaime Oncins on Sept. 2, 1992, when he turned 40.
“That was definitely very special. To play the day of my 40th birthday is special. You guys made it, like, incredible,” Monfils said to the fans at Louis Armstrong Stadium, who then sang happy birthday to him.
Monfils is planning to retire after this year and is making a few more memories along the way at the tournament where he reached the 2016 semifinals. He began the event by teaming up with his wife, Elina Svitolina, to reach the mixed doubles semifinals in their first time competing together.
Then, before the singles play began, he looked ahead toward his looming birthday.
“I hit my 40th birthday the day I play, so this is a big milestone for me, able to play at 40,” Monfils said. “I want to do, not good but really good, for where I am now.”
He did amazing.
He quickly began to outplay Vallejo after dropping the first set, then really poured it on to begin the fourth. It was 1-0 when he hit his leaping forehand winner, then raised his hand toward his ear and spun it to encourage cheers that were already well underway.
Monfils acknowledged the obvious: Jumping to hit the shot is more difficult than just hitting a regular forehand. But with a comfortable lead at the time, he thought it would provide “more happiness, more joy for me.”
"You know, I tried it. Lucky I put it in, but somehow, I’m here to also enjoy myself. There’s not many, many times (left), and, you know, it was the right moment, so why not try it?”
Monfils, in his 18th U.S. Open appearance, earned his first Grand Slam win since the first round of Wimbledon in 2025. He advanced to face American Learner Tien, the No. 14 seed.
See AP’s full tennis coverage here
Gael Monfils, of France, celebrates after defeating Adolfo Daniel Vallejo, of Paraguay, during the first round of the U.S. Open tennis championships Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
Gael Monfils, of France, celebrates after defeating Adolfo Daniel Vallejo, of Paraguay, during the first round of the U.S. Open tennis championships Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
Gael Monfils, of France, celebrates after defeating Adolfo Daniel Vallejo, of Paraguay, during the first round of the U.S. Open tennis championships Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
Gael Monfils, of France, takes a bow after winning a point against Adolfo Daniel Vallejo, of Paraguay, during the first round of the U.S. Open tennis championships Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
U.S. Sen. Ed Markey secured the Democratic nomination in Massachusetts’ Senate primary Tuesday, once again fending off a push for generational change as he seeks a third term.
Markey, 80, defeated U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton, 47, who had attempted to argue that it was time to do away with the “status quo” in his pursuit to oust the octogenarian.
Yet Markey successfully pointed to Moulton’s more moderate positions to argue that it was Moulton — not the older incumbent — who was out of touch with the state’s voters. Perhaps no other issue defined the race more than transgender rights, and Markey repeatedly hit Moulton for previously saying he would not want his daughters to play against transgender athletes.
“Massachusetts needs a senator who stands up and fights back, a senator who never forgets who they are fighting for,” Markey said during his victory speech. “That has been the mission of my life, and it always will be.”
In heavily Democratic Massachusetts, the primary is considered the most critical election hurdle, and the winner is expected to prevail in the general election in November.
Markey has been a fixture in Massachusetts politics since the 1970s, prompting Moulton to make his “status quo” arguments on the campaign trail and to question Markey’s accomplishments during his lengthy time in office.
“Generational change isn’t about compromising, to do the small things better,” Markey said Tuesday. “It’s about fighting to do the big things best.”
In a concession speech, Moulton said he would now support Markey.
“Challenging the establishment and calling for a new generation of leadership isn’t easy. But it is necessary,” Moulton told supporters. “We started conversations that needed to happen.”
“We didn’t achieve our goal tonight, but I am confident others will be inspired to buck the system when they’re told to wait their turn,” he added.
The Senate race was not the only generational challenge for Democrats on the ballot. A similar dynamic played out in the 8th Congressional District, where Patrick Roath hoped to oust longtime incumbent Rep. Stephen Lynch, and in the 1st Congressional District of western Massachusetts, where progressive public school teacher Jeromie Whalen faced against Rep. Richard Neal.
During the campaign Markey repeatedly pointed out that Moulton, in 2024, raised eyebrows among some in the party for saying he did not want his daughters playing sports against transgender girls.
Critics said he was echoing President Donald Trump’s talking points against allowing transgender athletes in girls’ and women’s sports.
Moulton later apologized for his remarks, saying it was not his intention to hurt the transgender community and stressing his support for other transgender rights bills.
“If you’re in the trans community or you’re a trans kid feeling the weight of the Trump administration and the Supreme Court, you matter,” Moulton said during an August debate. “You’re valued, and I will always have your back.”
Moulton, who enlisted in the Marines after the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, and served four tours of duty in Iraq, was first elected to Massachusetts’ 6th Congressional District in 2014. He launched a 2020 presidential campaign but dropped it after a few months.
Markey was elected to the Senate in 2013. Before that he represented Massachusetts’ 7th Congressional District from 1976 to 2013.
Markey notably fended off a challenge in 2020 from Rep. Joe Kennedy III, a younger rival from one of the nation's most famous political families. Markey did so by aligning himself with the liberal wing of the Democratic Party.
Antoine Hilaire, a 76-year-old Democrat who voted for Markey in Brockton on Tuesday, said being older can be a positive because it offers people experience and wisdom.
“If the older one is doing the better job, I don’t know,” he said. “He’s doing a good job. It’s not a big, big, big problem.”
Lynch, 71, has held the 8th District seat in south Boston since 2001. He faced Roath, a 39-year-old lawyer who contended that it is time to end “wait-your-turn” politics. Lynch stressed the value of experience inside Congress.
Lynch has fended off other youth challenges in the past, but Roath’s campaign hoped for a boost of excitement after longtime Democratic incumbent U.S. Rep. John Larson was defeated by former Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin in August in neighboring Connecticut. Like Roath, Bronin called for the need for generational change while running against an establishment politician.
Meanwhile the 1st District primary in western Massachusetts pitted Neal, 77, against Whalen, 39.
Neal, known as the dean of the New England House delegation, was first elected in 1988. Whalen ran to the left of Neal, calling for Medicare for All and questioning whether Neal has done enough to oppose Trump’s agenda.
Whalen recently was endorsed by Our Revolution, a progressive organization founded by Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont.
Associated Press reporter Leah Willingham in Brockton contributed.
The story has been updated to correct Larson’s first name to John, not Jim.
Attendees cheer after U.S. Sen. Edward Markey, D-Mass., won the Democratic nomination during a primary election night event Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
U.S. Sen. Edward Markey, D-Mass., reacts alongside his wife Susan Blumenthal after winning the Democratic nomination during a primary election night event Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
U.S. Sen. Edward Markey, D-Mass., along with his wife, Susan Blumenthal gestures after winning the Democratic nomination during a primary election night event Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
Rep. Seth Moulton speaks after losing the Democratic primary during a primary election night event Tuesday Sept. 1, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Reba Saldanha)
Supporters of U.S. Sen. Edward Markey, D-Mass., react during a primary election night event Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026 in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
A supporter reacts to first results after polls closed during a primary election night event for U.S. Sen. Edward Markey, D-Mass., Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026 in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton campaigns outside Cary Hall, the town hall and polling place in Lexington, Mass., Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026. (Lauren Feeney/Lexington Observer via AP)
U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton campaigns outside Cary Hall, the town hall and polling place in Lexington, Mass., Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026. (Lauren Feeney/Lexington Observer via AP)
FILE - Rep. Stephen Lynch, D-Mass., speaks during a news conference on Feb. 18, 2026, in New Albany, Ohio. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel, File)
Patrick Roath, a Democrat candidate challenging U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.) in the 8th Congressional District, talks with residents at a retirement community, Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2026, in Westwood, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
In this combination photo, Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., speaks during a news conference at the Capitol in Washington, March 27, 2025, left, and Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., speaks during a candidate forum, Aug. 3, 2019, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo)
U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass. who is campaigning to unseat Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., speaks to prospective voters Saturday, Aug. 29, 2026, in Wakefield, Mass. (AP Photo/Josh Reynolds)
Sen. Ed Markey speaks during a Get Out the Vote event supporting Markey, Saturday, Aug. 29, 2026 in Boston. (AP Photo/Mark Stockwell)
