The duel of well-advanced thirty-year-olds between Gaël Monfils (37 years old, 33rd in the world) and Adrian Mannarino (36 years old, 24th) turned to the advantage of the first named. In four sets (6-4, 3-6, 7-5, 6-4), the recent semi-finalist in Mallorca, very efficient in serving and more powerful in exchange, firmly mastered the French No. 2.
It was a tricky match for Monfils, back after three years of absence on a grass that he has never really blessed throughout his career, but that he seems to be taming better and better in his “old days”. The sensations had, in particular, been good in the Balearic Islands last week, before his big return to the All England Club, whose doors he had not pushed open since 2021.
Still, Monfils knew that wrestling with Adrian Mannarino on the grass was the prospect of seeing the country and getting into a few tactical knots. But the Parisian perfectly overcame the obstacle, raised high in particular by a devilishly efficient serve three quarters of the time, with an impeccable 65% of first serves and 81% of points behind in the end!
Apart from a decline in the second set, following a drop in service speed and a rushed start to the set, from which “Manna” then took full advantage, by being more incisive and turned forward, Monfils was most of the time in control Diligent, more powerful in the exchange, capable of countering strongly on both sides, the French No. 3 often dictated the tempo, despite some always singular touch shots from “Manna” the unbound.
A delicious meeting with Stan Wawrinka in the next round
It still had to pay off in full. And it will take this tilting break, at 5-5 in a third set at the knife, conceded by Mannarino on two consecutive backhand faults, for “la Monf” to really pose as the boss of the match.
With this nicely validated success, Monfils now turns to an inevitably delicious second round to play, facing another “old” glory of the circuit, in this case Stan Wawrinka (39 years old, 95th in the world), winner in three sets and without clashes this Monday from the British guest, Charles Broom (6-3, 7-5, 6-4).
