Gael Monfils retires from 1st-round match at US Open

The US Open has lost its most distinguished showman.

A year after an electric showing at Flushing Meadows that saw him come within a point of topping Roger Federer in the quarterfinals, World No. 16 Gael Monfils retired from his first-round match Monday.

Monfils was trailing 120th-ranked qualifier Illya Marchenko 2-6, 6-4, 5-0 when he decided to call it quits. There was no word on the specifics of Monfils' injury, but it appeared to have something to do with this vicious spill in the second set:

It's all the more disappointing for Monfils given that the top seed in his quarter of the draw, No. 4 Kei Nishikori, was upset earlier in the day, opening things up for a potential run to his first major semifinal. If nothing else, a blockbuster third-rounder could have seen Monfils take on fellow Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

Instead, for the incredibly talented, acrobatic, oft-injured, consistently frustrating crowd favorite, it's another disappointing result in a season that's seen him advance no further than the Round of 16 at any Slam.

Marchenko advances to face Sergiy Stakhovsky in Round 2.