Gaël Monfils goes back in time: by surprising world No. 4 Taylor Fritz on Saturday in the 3rd round of the Australian Open, the Frenchman (41st) beat a member of the top 5 in a Grand Slam for the first time since 2008, after Iga Swiatek (2nd) also reached the round of 16 thanks to a show of strength.
Monfils, the roller coaster against Fritz
At the age of 38, Gaël Monfils is still green: the Frenchman dominated in four sets and more than three hours the finalist of the last US Open Taylor Fritz, Saturday in the 3rd round of the Australian Open. Winner 3-6, 7-5, 7-6 (7/1), 6-4 against the 4th in the world, Monfils recorded his eighth success in a row.
The French Tennis veteran also ended a series of 12 consecutive Grand Slam defeats against top 5 players on Saturday, his last success dating back to 2008, against Spaniard David Ferrer in a quarter-final at Roland Garros. Garros. Since 128-player draws were introduced in Melbourne in 1988, only 20-time major winner Roger Federer had managed to reach the round of 16 at an older age than Monfils. The Frenchman will face the American Ben Shelton (20th) or the Italian Lorenzo Musetti (15th) in the next round.
At the start of the evening, world No.1 Jannik Sinner will enter the Rod Laver Arena to face the American Marcos Giron (46th), who has never gone beyond the 3rd round in a Grand Slam. In the event of a victory against Giron, the defending champion in Melbourne would achieve a 17th victory in a row.
The double Grand Slam winner (Australian Open and US Open 2024) has not been defeated since his defeat in the final of the ATP 500 tournament in Beijing against Carlos Alcaraz (3rd), at the start of the fall.
4 in a row for Swiatek
On the court of the Rod Laver Arena, the Polish Iga Swiatek (2nd) scored a fourth victory in as many duels on Saturday against the British Emma Raducanu (61st), winner of the US Open in 2021. The five-time Grand Slam winner won 6-1, 6-0 and thus joined in the round of 16 her rivals Aryna Sabalenka (1st), double title holder, and Coco Gauff (3rd).
-Asked how humiliating the harsh score was, Swiatek responded that she was “just trying to keep the same attitude regardless of the score.” I’m playing my game and if it’s working, why should I stop? » She will challenge for a place in the quarterfinals the German Eva Lys (128th), who defeated the Romanian Jacqueline Cristian (82nd) on Saturday in three sets.
Semi-finalist in Melbourne in 2022, Swiatek was eliminated in the 3rd round of the Australian Open in 2024. “Last year I was not spoiled by the draw, I was tired, I I wasn’t moving well…” argued the Pole at a press conference.
Since the start of the Australian fortnight, however, “I feel less stressed and that helps me,” she continued. After two difficult first matches, the American Emma Navarro (8th) won a third match in three sets in a row, against the triple Grand Slam finalist Ons Jabeur (39th): 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 . “I love tennis so much that I can’t help but go to three sets,” joked the semi-finalist of the last US Open. She will face the Russian Daria Kasatkina (10th) in the next round, who dismissed the Kazakh Yulia Putintseva (23rd) 7-5, 6-1 on Saturday.
World No. 7 Elena Rybakina, winner of Wimbledon in 2022 and finalist in Melbourne in 2023, is also in the round of 16 after her 6-3, 6-4 success against the Ukrainian Dayana Yastremska (33rd). Last member of the top 5 to compete in her 3rd round, the Italian Jasmine Paolini (4th) is expected around 7:00 p.m. (08:00 GMT) at the Margaret Court Arena. The finalist of Roland-Garros and Wimbledon in 2024 will challenge the Ukrainian Elina Svitolina (27th), wife of Gaël Monfils. “I heated the court for her,” joked the Frenchman after his victory against Fritz.
Related News :