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Despite surrendering the opening set to Fritz, Frenchman Monfils turned the game on its head by clinching the three following sets to register a 3-6, 7-5, 7-6(1), 6-4.
Gael Monfils of France celebrates after defeating Taylor Fritz of the U.S. in their third round match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)
French tennis star Gael Monfils rallied to post a come-from-behind win over the fourth-seeded American Taylor Fritz at the Australian Open on Saturday to secure his passage into the fourth round of the year’s first grand slam tournament.
Despite surrendering the opening set to Fritz, Frenchman Monfils turned the game on its head by clinching the three following sets to register a 3-6, 7-5, 7-6(1), 6-4.
Monfils marked his win over the American with some dance moves before screaming in exaltation as the 38-year-old secured his berth in the subsequent round of the event.
Monfils started the 2024 edition of the hard court major with a win over compatriot Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in a five-set marathon as the former posted a 7-6, 6-3, 6(6)-7, 6(5)-7, 6-4. The 38-year-old looked to be in cruise control and seemed to be headed towards a straight sets win before Perricard hit back by taking the third and fourth sets on tiebreaker to send the fixture into a deciding fifth set, in which Monfils prevailed.
Monfils’ second round encounter was more straightforward as he breezed past Daniel Altmaier in three sets 7-5, 6-3, 7-6(3) to set up a third-round clash against Fritz.
“I keep playing for those matches. Big player, big stadium, good crowd, good energy. When you’re 38 years old, it’s what I want. I had it. I was very fortunate to win it,” Monfils said following the win.
“It’s exactly why I’m playing,” he added.
“The strategy was to hold the baseline and definitely change the tempo. Hit some big shots down the line and used some shape with my forehand, some slice with my backhand and served well,” the Frenchman continued.
“I have a strong belief in myself, a strong belief I can still do some damage and with a little bit of luck we are in the second week of the Australian Open,” the 41-ranked player stated.
