Difficult winner of Mpetshi Perricard, Monfils qualifies for the second round

Recent winner in Auckland, Gaël Monfils continues his momentum in Melbourne. The 38-year-old Frenchman defeated Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard this Tuesday, in the first round of the Australian Open, in a tight match in five sets (7-6 [7]6-3, 6-7 [6]6-7 [5]6-4) and 3h46 of play. Monfils had however missed two match points in the tie-break of the third set and seemed physically diminished. The opportunity for Mpetshi Perricard, more consistent, to return to two sets everywhere. But the Lyonnais gave up in the decisive set, being broken from the start while Monfils, diligent, took care of his service games.