Latest news with #Monfils
Dubai Eye
2 days ago
- Sport
- Dubai Eye
Draper stops home favourite Monfils in late night stunner
Britain's fifth seed Jack Draper fought off inspired home favourite Gael Monfils to claim a 6-3 4-6 6-3 7-5 victory and reach the third round of the French Open on a raucous Court Philippe Chatrier on Thursday. Riding a wave of partisan support, 38-year-old showman Monfils produced some dazzling tennis to win the second set and level the match and despite losing the third, looked on course to set up a decider as the crowd went wild. The free-swinging Monfils broke Draper's serve in the fourth set as the clock moved past 11pm local time and saved five break points in an epic seventh game to move 5-2 ahead. Battling fatigue and struggling to move between points, Monfils still had two set points on the Draper serve at 5-4 but his 23-year-old opponent stayed ice cool to fend them off. Draper then moved 6-5 ahead with another service break and duly finished an absorbing contest at the first time of asking before warmly embracing Monfils at the net.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Special' Jack Draper and Gael Monfils embrace brings out the best of the French Open
When Jack Draper and Gael Monfils met at the net at the end of their epic late-night French Open battle, they fell into each other's arms. They had put on a dazzling show. The thrilling Monfils, ever the entertainer, rose to the challenge and had the home fans pleading for more. With a fifth set beckoning, Draper dug deep. He won the final four games in a row to win a classic, 6-3 4-6 6-3 7-5. Not bad for your debut on Court Philippe-Chatrier, silencing the raucous crowd just as the 38-year-old Monfils whipped them into a frenzy. 'It was special to be a part of tonight,' Draper told TNT Sports. 'Massive respect to Gael on and off the court, for what he brings. He makes it so tough. But I was happy with how I competed in a really tough environment.' Advertisement It should have gone to a fifth. Monfils came out swinging, repelling Draper at every turn, and then breaking the British No 1. When Monfils saved five break points to lead 5-2, requiring a double bounce off the net-cord to stay ahead, it seemed as if the veteran Frenchman would go fighting late into the night. He had delved deep into the box of tricks, moving superbly, and was in inspired form. 'A great night. A great match,' said Monfils. Monfils was in inspired form on Court Philippe-Chatrier (Getty) Monfils is the king of the late-night Chatrier comeback. He had done so in the opening round, recovering from an early injury when he smashed into the advertising hoardings to battle from two sets down and defeat Hugo Dellien. Once again, Monfils looked to be winding back the clock. He had absorbed a lightning start from Draper, the fifth seed, and turned it into a proper contest. Draper may have been taking to Chatrier for the first time, but the 23-year-old looked comfortable going the distance. He has been a different player since his series of five-set epics at the Australian Open in January, and is growing on confidence on the clay with each passing match. Draper saved two set points on serve at 5-4, finding big serves to stay alive. It was clutch and he stayed cool. Advertisement '5-3, 30-Love. Every point was hard,' Monfils said. 'I was really returning the balls very well. He really played his game well. Honestly, I couldn't do a lot. I played my forehand down the line. It went out. And he played well after that.' Draper admitted his brain had been 'fried' earlier on, as Monfils turned the match around by mixing up his game and producing a variety that had Draper's head spinning. 'What an experience, what a battle against someone I admire as a tennis player,' he said. 'Off the court, the guy is so nice. He's a joker, he's a magician, I hope he makes it back here one more time.' Monfils was beginning to limp as Draper levelled the fourth set. He sensed his moment to strike and his heavy top-spin forehand found its mark to get over the line. Afterwards, the Frenchman was just as effusive in his praise of his opponent. 'I love this player. I love the way he plays,' Monfils said. Up next for Draper? The 18-year-old Joao Fonseca, Brazil's rising star. Both players will be looking to reach the fourth round of the French Open for the first time. Advertisement There is already guaranteed to be one British player in the last-16, with Cameron Norrie and Jacob Fearnley through to play each other. Norrie defeated the Argentine lucky loser Federico Agustin Gomez in straight-sets, while Fearnley, who is making his Roland Garros debut, advanced when Frenchman Ugo Humbert retired injured while trailing 6-4 4-4. Fearnley holds up his hands after making it through to the French Open third round for the first time (Getty Images) Humbert, the 22nd seed, went over his right ankle as he ran sideways behind the baseline. He immediately held his right calf went off the court for treatment. Humbert attempted to play on but immediately lost his serve before walking to the net to shake hands. 'Obviously happy to be in the third round. But definitely not the way I would have wanted to do it,' Fearnley said. A reward for either Norrie or Fearnley could be a last-16 clash with Novak Djokovic, who will next play qualifier Filip Misolic. Djokovic defeated Frenchman Corentin Moutet in straight-sets, while there were also victories for Alexander Zverev and Jannik Sinner, who retired the 38-year-old Richard Gasquet with a 6-3 6-0 6-4 on the Frenchman's final Roland Garros appearance. There were defeats for second-round Katie Boulter and Sonay Kartal. Boulter suffered a heavy defeat to Madison Keys, the Australian Open champion, going down 6-1 6-3 on Chatrier while Kartal was beaten 6-1 6-4 by Marie Bouzkova. Second seed Coco Gauff, third seed Jessica Pegula and sixth seed Mirra Andreeva all enjoyed wins in straight-sets.
India Today
2 days ago
- Sport
- India Today
Jack Draper bows down to Gael Monfils after French Open Round 2 win: He's magician
Jack Draper expressed deep respect for Gael Monfils after advancing to the next round of the French Open men's singles. On Thursday, May 29, the 23-year-old Draper defeated Monfils 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 in a three-hour and 11-minute battle on Court the match on Centre Court, Draper shared his admiration for Monfils, who had recently made history as the oldest player to win a match at Roland Garros after his victory over Bolivia's Hugo I admire as a player. Off court the guy is incredibly nice. Such a joker. He's a magician. He does everything man. Huge respect to him. I hope he's able to play here again,' Draper said in the on-court interview after the match. Hear from Jack Draper after his big win against Monfils #RolandGarros Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) May 29, 2025'I love this player' Monfils also had words of praise for Draper, who had never won a match at the French Open before this year's tournament. In 2023 and 2024, Draper made first-round exits in the clay-court major. Monfils noted that Draper has elevated his game, highlighting his already-strong backhand and noticeable improvement on the forehand side."I love this player. I love the way he plays, because he plays a very fast backhand ... when Jack was young, he really had the best backhand. Maybe he had fewer points. But he was more solid in the backhand, and he's progressed a lot on his forehand now,' Monfils said. advertisement"He's a left-hander who goes very fast along the line. That's not common, and he moves really well on the court," Monfils added. Prior to the French Open, Draper broke into the top 5 of the ATP rankings for the first time in his career. He also reached the final of the Madrid Open, where he was defeated by Casper the next round at Roland Garros, Draper will face Brazil's Joao Fonseca, who eliminated Pierre-Hugues Herbert in the second Watch
New Straits Times
2 days ago
- Sport
- New Straits Times
'I love this player', Monfils lauds Draper after French Open loss
PARIS: Gael Monfils would have liked to stick around longer than the second round at his 18th French Open but said he felt no shame in bowing out to Jack Draper on yesterday, happy just to have "teased" a player whose game he loves. The 38-year-old Frenchman at one point threatened the sort of comeback that has been his Roland Garros trademark before losing 6-3 4-6 6-3 7-5 to the fifth-seeded Briton in a late night thriller on Court Philippe Chatrier. The players shared a long embrace at the net at the end of the contest and Monfils continued the vibe in his post-match press conference. "A great night. A great match. Above all, I was happy, because of course he's feeling very confident, but I did manage to tease him a little bit," Monfils told reporters. "I love this player. I love the way he plays, because he plays a very fast backhand ... when Jack was young, he really had the best backhand. "Maybe he had fewer points. But he was more solid in the backhand, and he's progressed a lot on his forehand now. "He's a left-hander who goes very fast along the line. That's not common, and he moves really well on the court." Monfils said he had seen other improvements in Draper over the last few years. "Where he's really progressed is that he really returns really well," he added. "He's far from the baseline, and the ball's always in at the right speed, the right course, and he's made a tremendous amount of progress in that regard. "So a Jack who is feeling very self-confident like that is very difficult to manoeuvre." On a day when compatriot Richard Gasquet was ushered into retirement, Monfils said he would definitely be back next year for a 19th tilt at the title at his home Grand Slam. "I think it's really hard to stop playing at Roland," he said. "It's hard, because generally when you stop, it's because you're not up to the level."
TimesLIVE
2 days ago
- Sport
- TimesLIVE
'I love this player', Monfils lauds Draper after French Open loss
Gael Monfils would have liked to stick around longer than the second round at his 18th French Open but said he felt no shame in bowing out to Jack Draper on Thursday, happy just to have 'teased' a player whose game he loves. The 38-year-old Frenchman at one point threatened the sort of comeback that has been his Roland Garros trademark before losing 6-3 4-6 6-3 7-5 to the fifth-seeded Briton in a late night thriller on Court Philippe Chatrier. The players shared a long embrace at the net at the end of the contest and Monfils continued the vibe in his post-match press conference. 'A great night. A great match. Above all, I was happy, because he's feeling confident, but I managed to tease him a bit,' Monfils told reporters. 'I love this player. I love the way he plays, because he plays a fast backhand, when Jack was young he had the best backhand. 'Maybe he had fewer points, but he was more solid in the backhand, and he's progressed a lot on his forehand now.
