Gael Monfils Comes Back From A Set Down To Secure His Spot In Round 3 At The Miami Open

The Frenchmen dispatched the no. 33 seed Australian Jordan Thompson in a late night thriller at the Miami Open in 3 sets, 6(3)-7, 6-1, 6-2 in 2 hours and 13 minutes. The 37 year old, coming back from an unsatisfactory performance in the first set tie-break, ran off with the match after bringing his game up a notch in the latter two sets. Monfils, one of the oldest players on the tour, seems to have found his form in recent months as he picks up another win this season.

© ATP staff

The start of the match was not great for Monfils as he was broken by Thompson on his first service game, but he managed to remain calm and get the break back in the next game. They played a calm and tight first set but Monfils was unable to set his foot in the tie-break, allowing the Australian to win it. However, things changed after the sit-down, as Monfils managed to increase the pace on every aspect of his game. Thompson was unable to keep up, ultimately allowing the Frenchmen to secure a spot in the third round. 

This win marks the 550th win of Gael Monfils' career. He is the 42nd man to achieve this feat in the Open Era and only the eighth amongst the active players. In the next round of the Masters event, he will face the top seed Carlos Alcaraz and it would be their second meeting on tour; Alcaraz had won their last meeting at Indian Wells in 2022. The Frenchmen is currently up to no. 47 in the world, and he will certainly put up a fight against Alcaraz who is looking to complete the Sunshine Double as he won at Indian Wells last week!