India, Jan. 21 -- For one last show, Gael Monfils had the crowd chanting his name as he bid adieu to the Australian Open. There will be no encore at Melbourne Park for the 39-year-old Frenchman, a popular personality around Melbourne Park for decades. After leading by a set and a break, Monfils lost his first-round match to local qualifier Dane Sweeny 6-7 (3), 7-5, 6-4, 7-5 on Tuesday.

It was his 20th Australian Open, his 69th Grand Slam appearance, and a second-round encounter against Number 8 Ben Shelton had loomed for Monfils for much of the afternoon as a capacity crowd at Kia Arena sang and roared. But 24-year-old Sweeny, who had never previously won a Grand Slam main draw match, simply outdid Monfils at what the Frenchman made a ca...