the essential
Gaël Monfils, 41st player in the world, managed to beat the 4th player in the world, the American Taylor Fritz. He is qualified for the round of 16 where he will face another Frenchman Ugo Humbert.
Who will stop Gaël Monfils? At 38, the Frenchman, 41st player in the world, signed against the American Taylor Fritz (4th), this Saturday morning, his first Grand Slam victory against a member of the Top 5 since 2008. Became in New Zealand the winner of oldest tournament on the main circuit since 1977, Gaël Monfils scored an eighth success in a row, with a score of 3-6, 7-5, 7-6 (7/1), 6-4.
Powerful aces, suave cushioning: “La Monf” showed once again that he had lost none of his touch with the ball, ending up disgusting Taylor Fritz after a fight lasting more than three hours. “I think I did the job,” smiled Monfils just after his feat. “With a little success, here I am in the second week of the Australian Open,” he told an audience largely supportive of his cause.
The Tennis veteran ends a streak of 12 consecutive Grand Slam defeats against top 5 players, his last success dating back to 2008, against Spaniard David Ferrer in a quarter-final at Roland Garros.
-Since the 128-player draws were introduced in Melbourne in 1988, only Roger Federer, winner of 20 major tournaments, had managed to reach the round of 16 at an older age than Monfils.
Gaël Monfils joins his compatriot Ugo Humbert (14th) in the round of 16 of the Australian Open, qualified on Friday after the abandonment of Arthur Fils (21st), injured in his foot. Corentin Moutet (69th) can still join them if he defeats another American on Saturday, the young Learner Tien (121st at 19 years old).
