US Open 2026: lucky loser Arthur Gea is the last French player standing

Three days were enough to empty the French draw at Flushing Meadows. Gael Monfils played the last Grand Slam match of his career there, and Quentin Halys, Arthur Rinderknech, Benjamin Bonzi and Leolia Jeanjean are all out. One French player is left in the tournament, and it is the one who had already packed his bags: Arthur Gea plays his round-of-16 match on Monday.

How does a lucky loser reach the round of 16?

Arthur Gea, 21, ranked 87th, had lost in the final round of qualifying. He got into the draw as a lucky loser, replacing Casper Ruud, who withdrew. "I was about to check out of my hotel room," he said.

He has won three matches since:

in the first round, Argentina's Juan Manuel Cerundolo (45th) in five sets, 6-3, 2-6, 3-6, 6-3, 6-1;
in the second, America's Zachary Svajda (80th), 5-7, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2;
in the third, on Saturday, America's Michael Zheng (107th), 7-6(7), 3-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 in 3hr 55min, having trailed two sets to one.

Zheng was no gift of a draw: a former NCAA champion at Columbia, he was playing his first main draw in New York and broke into the live top 100 during the tournament.

What is that run worth?

Gea is only the sixth lucky loser to reach the round of 16 at a Grand Slam since 2000. At 21 years and 254 days, he is also the youngest French player to reach the second week of the US Open since Richard Gasquet, twenty years ago.

His year tells the rest: ranked 241st in January, a first Challenger title at Noumea soon after, then a first ATP 250 title at Los Cabos in early August against Denis Shapovalov, which took him into the top 100. He is now seven matches into his New York fortnight, qualifying included. "Seven matches, that's fine!"

"I'd rather be the last player in the tournament than the last French player left," he said.

Who does he play on Monday?

The Netherlands' Botic van de Zandschulp, ranked 70th. A manageable opponent on paper, but he is the man who knocked out Alex de Minaur, the 6th seed, in the second round (6-4, 7-5, 6-2), before seeing off Belgium's Zizou Bergs in five sets (3-6, 7-6(3), 4-6, 7-6(6), 6-3).

How did Gael Monfils leave the Grand Slams?

To a standing ovation on Louis Armstrong. At 40, ranked 311th, Monfils played his 201st and final Grand Slam match on Thursday, beaten by America's Learner Tien (14th seed, 20 years old) 6-3, 6-4, 6-3 in 2hr 17min. He converted none of his eight break points, and saved three match points at 5-3 before going down on the fourth.

"It was a great match, one I really enjoyed. The crowd was extraordinary once again, it gave me a lot of love and energy," he said.

He retires at the end of the season, with a final appearance planned at the Rolex Paris Masters.

Which French players went out?

Four of them, one of them by a hair.

Quentin Halys pushed Alexander Zverev, the top seed, to five sets and 4hr 36min: 6-4, 4-6, 7-6, 6-7, 6-3 to the German, in a match that started at 9.30pm and finished at 2.15am.
Arthur Rinderknech could do nothing against Daniil Medvedev (7th seed) in the third round, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4. He had led 4-2 with the break in the opening set; he was pegged back at 4-4 in both of the first two sets, then broken immediately in the third. The Russian won 75% of points behind his first serve and hit ten aces. His Monegasque cousin Valentin Vacherot went out the same day to Frances Tiafoe, 6-4, 6-2, 6-4 in 1hr 59min.
Benjamin Bonzi, 30, chasing a first Grand Slam quarter-final, was outplayed by Karen Khachanov 6-3, 6-2, 6-4, with 41 unforced errors to his opponent's 20. "Playing that kind of tennis, I had no chance," he admitted.
Leolia Jeanjean lost to Russia's Anastasia Potapova (24th seed) 6-4, 2-6, 6-3, a day after her first win in New York. Potapova then knocked out Amanda Anisimova, the 10th seed.

What to make of the rest of the draw?

The top of the men's draw keeps tearing itself apart. After Novak Djokovic went out in the first round, four more top-10 seeds have fallen: Felix Auger-Aliassime (3rd), beaten by Khachanov in the second round, Alex de Minaur (6th), Taylor Fritz (9th), knocked out by Francisco Cerundolo in five sets, and Flavio Cobolli (5th), swept aside by Belgium's Alexander Blockx. Lorenzo Musetti (13th) has gone too, to Australia's Dane Sweeny — the very player Corentin Moutet retired against.

In the women's draw, Anisimova (10th) and Elina Svitolina (9th) both fell in the third round.

The round of 16 has been under way since Sunday: Carlos Alcaraz faces Tommy Paul, Aryna Sabalenka meets Taylor Townsend, and Medvedev takes on Tiafoe for a place in the quarter-finals.