At 38, Gaël Monfils beat Nishesh Basavareddy, who is half his age, on Friday in Auckland to reach the 35th final of his career and aim for a 13th title. Just before the start of the Australian Open, where Monfils will play in the first round against his young French compatriot Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, the veteran appeared in good form in neighboring New Zealand to defeat the American, 7, in straight sets. -6 (7/5), 6-4.
The Frenchman, former world No.6 now 52nd, becomes the second oldest player to play a final on the circuit since the creation of the ATP Tour in 1990 – behind Croatian Ivo Karlovic in 2019 in Pune, at 39 years old . Monfils knew how to seize the opportunities better than his 19-year-old opponent, 133rd in the world, converting the only break point of the match at the end of the second set. “La Monf” for its part saved five break points.
Happy to reach the 35th final of his career to start his 21st year on the circuit, Monfils hopes it will be good preparation for the Australian Open, which begins on Sunday in Melbourne. “I am very happy. This kid has a bright future ahead of him, he pushed me to my limits“, he declared. He will face in the final the Belgian Zizou Bergs (66th), who is aiming for a first title at 25 after beating the Portuguese Nuno Borges in the semi-final.
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