The Frenchman achieved one of the greatest sensations of this Australian Open by dominating Taylor Fritz, 4th in the world, in the 3rd round in four sets (3/6, 7/6, 7/6[1]6/4).
Gaël Monfils is definitely made of a different wood than the rest of the circuit. While he was promised hell, and undoubtedly a correction, against Taylor Fritz, one of the favorites of this US Open 2024, the 38-year-old Frenchman went for one of the most beautiful victories of his last years in the 3rd round of the Australian Open.
If the first set quite logically fell into Fritz’s hands, Monfils never seemed outclassed on the Margaret Court Arena. Taking advantage of a few errors from the American and relying on his exceptional ground coverage, he equalized at one set all.
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As the match got tougher, the Frenchman showed that he kept the pace well in the exchange and that his body followed. In contact throughout the set, he produced a marvel during the tie break: a stratospheric level of play to lead 6-0, lose a tiny point, and finish with a final hot shot.
We could then expect a physical decline in “the Monf”. Obviously a little affected by the efforts, the French activated “management mode” and played a few economical games in the 4th set. But it was to better get out of the box at the right time. Thanks to several defensive marvels which disgusted his opponent, the Frenchman raised the cursor at the right time, achieving a crucial break at 4-4.
A few minutes later, he finished his recital with a final ace (3/6, 7/6, 7/6[1]6/4). A symbol as the solidity of his commitment was one of the keys to the meeting. Monfils hit 24 aces, double that of his opponent (one of the best servers on the circuit), winning 82% of the points behind his first ball.
Match statistics
Euphoric, the Frenchman savored his victory on the court for a long time. Including his victory in Auckland, he now has 8 victories in a row. For the moment, only Novak Djokovic has managed to beat him in 2025 (in 8th in Brisbane). And if he will not be favorite but will clearly have his chance to play in the next round, where he will face the winner of the match between Ben Shelton and Lorenzo Musetti.
Moutet in the tough
Another Frenchman is in the running to join Monfils (and also Ugo Humbert) in the round of 16. Corentin Moutet currently faces the sensation of this “Australian Open”, the young American qualifier Learner Tien. Moutet is currently down one set to zero.
