Mixed fortunes for the Habs. At Masters Montreal 1000, Tuesday August 9, Gaël Monfils (20th player in the world) and Adrian Mannarino (70th) managed to qualify for the second round. It is however already over for Hugo Gaston, Arthur Rinderknech, Benoit Paire and Benjamin Bonzi.
After a lackluster Wimbledon, French tennis hopes to do well in a tournament where neither Rafael Nadal nor Novak Djokovic are present. On the other hand Daniil Medvedev, world number 1, is there, he who was deprived of Wimbledon because of the Russian invasion in Ukraine.
In a remake of Wimbledon 2021, Gaël Monfils (20th) met the Spaniard Pedro Martinez (53rd) for his return to the circuit, after being sidelined for more than three months due to discomfort in his right heel. If the French lost in London, this timethe outcome was favorable to him. At 35, the No. 17 seed showed tenacity to win in three sets (7-6 [7-4]3-6, 6-2) after 2h45 of play.
After a good first set, where the French got several break points, Pedro Martinez caught up to one set everywhere. Imperial in defense and eye-catching at the start of the third set, the Spaniard forced Gaël Monfils to save three break points as soon as he came into play. More constant and lucid than his opponent, the Frenchman managed, at the end of a beautiful battle, to break the Spaniard (4-2) and then close the match.
He thus joins the second round of the Masters 1000 in Montreal where he will face Maxime Cressy (31st). The Montreal tournament is a success for Gaël Monfils who has reached the semi-finals twice (in 2016 and 2019). The French lost in the quarter-finals last year, against John Isner.
Monday’s rain gave hope for a lull for Hugo Gaston (76th), led by a set before the interruption. But the Frenchman could never bounce back on Tuesday. Opposed to the Briton Jack Draper (82nd), the Toulousain lost 6-2, 6-3 in 1 h 22.
They too could not finish their meeting on Monday, interrupted by the rain. The 100% French duel between Adrian Mannarino and Arthur Rinderknech resumed Tuesday in Montreal. After two perfectly mastered rounds, Adrian Mannarino beat his compatriot (6-3, 6-3). A match of another dimension is now announced in the second round, where the Frenchman will meet the Italian Jannik Sinner (n°7).
Two Blues were still in contention on Tuesday. But neither Benjamin Bonzi, opposed to the American Frances Tiafoe (6/7, 7/5, 6/3), nor Benoit Paire (104th), beaten by the Japanese Yoshihito Nishioka (6/2, 6/3), n were able to overcome the obstacle.