Gael Monfils defeats fellow Frenchman in Australian Open first-round match for ages

MELBOURNE, Australia — Gael Monfils’ pragmatic pro looks to end his first-round victory over up-and-coming fellow Frenchman Giovanni Mpetschi Pericard in straight sets at the Australian Open.

The entertaining instinct in him got a lot of value from clinching in five.

In a duel between 38-year-old Monfils and 21-year-old Mpetshi Pericard, it was age, experience and stamina that trumped strength and youth – helping to undo one of tennis’ greatest serves.

A few days after Monfils became the oldest player to win the ATP Tour title by defeating Jiju Bergs in the final in Auckland, New Zealand, Monfils squandered a match point in the third set and Mpetshi Pericard’s serve in the fifth set ended 7-6 (it closed out 7), 6-3, 6. -7 (6), 6-7 (5), 6-4 win.

Monfils said he usually tries to avoid thinking about the age gap with competitors, “but I can tell you tomorrow morning I’ll (feel) 48 from 38.”

“I know… I can be twice the guy’s age sometimes. I have, yes, I think a 21-year career, and he’s 21 years old, Giovanni,” he added. “Of course there are numbers, but I’m struggling, so I try not to keep any numbers in my head.”

Monfils and Mpetshi Perricard entered the match at opposite ends of the career spectrum, but shared a passion for their sport. Both occasionally used shots between the legs during rallies — in one case, both in the same rally in a fourth-set tiebreaker — and sometimes resorted to unorthodox approaches to set points.

With a 34-18 career record at the Australian Open, where he reached the quarterfinals in 2016 and 2022, Monfils had the advantage against a debutant at Melbourne Park.

Mpetshi Perricard has never advanced beyond the first round at a major other than Wimbledon (where he reached the fourth round as a lucky loser last year) but was seeded 30th in 2024 after a breakout year that included two titles.

Monfils, who has won more Grand Slam singles matches than any other Frenchman, now has a 20-19 record in five-set matches.

She did not face a break point in five sets against Mpetshi Pericard, and served what is considered the best second-serve in tennis. He converted two of 12 break-point chances.

But he had 18 double-faults, including one when he was serving for the match in the third set, and another on a match point in the third set tiebreaker that allowed his younger rival to get back into the match and put it up 1. 1/2 hour.

Later, the pair cooled down and stretched together in the locker room.

“Sometimes on the bench I say to myself, ‘He’s not 38,'” Mpetshi Pericard said. “Physically I don’t think he’s 38, but yeah, I mean, I have to be better to win matches like this. I’m still young. I can still learn.”

There were other dramatic five-setters, as fifth seed and towering Daniil Medvedev, a former US Open champion and three-time finalist in Australia, defeated Grand Slam rookie Kasidit Samarez 6-2, 4-6, 3-6, 6-1, 6- 2 and No. 13 Holger Run defeated Zhang Zhizhen 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4.

No. 4 Taylor Fritz, runner-up at the US Open and ATP Finals and part of the United Cup-winning US team, took less than two hours to cruise to a 6-2, 6-0, 6-3 victory over Jenson. Brooksby.

No. 8 Emma Navarro took 3 hours 20 minutes and came from 5-3 down in the third set to defeat American Peyton Stearns 6-7 (5), 7-6 (5), 7-5 in the women’s first round. .

In contrast, sixth seed Elena Rybakina beat 16-year-old Emerson Jones 6-1, 6-1 and No. 9 Daria Kasatkina in straight sets.

Navarro, a semi-finalist at the US Open last year, described her victory as “one of the more unique matches I’ve played in a while – it was just relying a lot on my tenacity and toughness and fight.”

Emma Radukanu, the 2021 US Open champion, defeated No. 26 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova 7-6 (4), 7-6 (2) to set up a second-round match against Amanda Anisimova.

In his first match since November, the 22-year-old British player had 15 double-faults, 30 unforced errors and won just 30% of his second serve points. But he was good enough in the big moments.

“I am very proud of the way I fought and the way I overcame certain situations in that match,” said Radukanu.