- Gael Monfils survived a major scare from Argentina’s Sebastian Baez in what could be the most impressive win at the French Open so far
- Monfils roared back from 30-40 in the deciding set of his first round clash at Roland Garros to pull off a five-set victory on Wednesday morning
Gael Monfils survived a major scare from Argentina’s Sebastian Baez in what could be the most impressive win at the French Open so far.
Monfils roared back from 30-40 in the deciding set of his first round clash at Roland Garros to pull off a five-set victory on Wednesday morning. He is through to the second round where Holger Rune is awaiting.
Gael Monfils is through to the second round at Roland Garros. Photo/ Tennis Majors.
Monfils was on the brink of an early exit, hence breaking down after breaking down after the handshake and collapsing on the court while sobbing.
Gael Monfils, who is world number 394, said the victory on Wednesday morning under the lights at Court Philippe Chatrier will live long in the memory.
“It’s definitely in my top two [matches]. It was an unbelievable atmosphere as well. Of course this one is another flavour. I’m older, and even less chances, let’s say, to win this match today. It was a great atmosphere tonight, I guess for some spectators as well. I know I have some friends for the first time they came to Roland-Garros, so I think it was a good experience for them.” Eurosport quotes Gael Monfils, who mounted a sensational comeback to win 306 6-3 7-5 1-6 7-5.
Gael Monfils lost in the second round in 2021 and was nearly losing in the first round this year after missing last year’s event. He put forth one of the greatest performances we have seen at Roland Garros so far this year.
How The Game Unfolded
Sebastian Baez started the match better, breaking his opponent multiple times in the first set before eventually winning it 6-3. However, things didn’t go his way in the second set as Monfils was able to get one more break and win it 6-3.
The turning point of the match came in the third set of the match as both players wanted to win. Baez started on a high note, winning 16 of 17 rallies from 3-4, 0-30 and taking a 40-0 lead with three break points to his name. However, Monfils would win the following nine points and set up the stage to win the set 7-5.
Gael Monfils pulled a sensational comeback against Sebastian Baez. Photo Flipboard.
From there, it looked like Monfils started to run out of stamina. The home favourite lost 10 of the next eleven games, with Baez winning the fourth set 6-1.
Things were not looking good for Monfils in the decider as Baez went 4-0 up. At this point, the Argentine was in firm control and no one expected Monfils to deliver a stunning comeback. However, the French crowd was behind their player and they gave him the motivation he needed to perform ‘magic’ at Roland Garros.
Monfils won the next four games to level the score in the fifth set. There was another mini-upset after the Frenchman failed to back his double break up by a hold of serve as his opponent served for the match in the tenth game. Monfils eventually secured the set to record his first victory in this year’s French Open.
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