Monfils Delights In Rolling Back The Years At Australian Open

Gaël Monfils, Australian Open
Gaël Monfils (photo: Australian Open TV/YouTube)

MELBOURNE/WASHINGTON, January 15, 2025 (by Michael Dickens)

The first head-to-head meeting between Gaël Monfils and Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, which took place at the Australian Open Tuesday afternoon – the 39th all-French men’s singles match at the Australian Open in the Open Era and the 212th all-French men’s singles match at a Grand Slam in the Open Era – will be remembered for a long time.

For those who spent all or part of the three-hour, 46-minute five-set thriller, won by Monfils 7-6 (7), 6-3, 6-7 (6), 6-7 (5), 6-4 on intimate Court 3 – which sits in the shadows of Margaret Court Arena – there’s no doubting that the acrobatic 38-year-old still has the dazzle and desire to win. To the very end, Monfils was serving aces and hitting overhead smashes for winners.

Monfils fired 18 aces and struck 68 winners, and withstood an all-out assault from Mpetshi Perricard, 17 years his junior, who finished with 19 aces and 69 winners. The elder Frenchman turned back the years – heck, Monfils began playing ITF Futures events before Mpetshi Perricard was born – and it was exciting to see.

What’s just as amazing is the 41st-ranked Monfils beat No. 30 seed Mpetshi Perricard just three days after he won his 13th career ATP title in Auckland, a Melbourne tune-up event. His title run in New Zealand made him the oldest man to win an ATP tour-level event since Ken Rosewall in 1977. There’s no doubt that Monfils played much younger than his age and Mpetshi Perricard, at age 21, has a very bright future. However, by the end, it was the accumulated experience of Monfils that rewarded him with victory.

“I’m crazy happy,” Monfils said, after improving his career AO win-loss record to 35-18 and his 2025 win-loss record to 7-1. His career five-set win-loss record is now 20-19. By contrast, it was only the fourth career five-set match the 21-year-old Mpetshi Perricard had played in. Against the younger, athletic Frenchman, Monfils didn’t face a single break point against Mpetshi Perricard.

When he secured match point, Monfils wagged his left index finger toward his team and smiled. Then, he tapped his heart with his right hand. The crowd roared in approval. He walked to the net where he shared a warm embrace with Mpetshi Perricard. The two walked off together smiling at one another. All was good between two generations of French stars.

The victory advanced Monfils to play 101st-ranked Daniel Altmaier of Germany in the second round on Thursday.

“I have another chance to come out and play in a packed stadium,” Monfils said during his post-match news conference. He was reminded by a report of something he once said: “I only need one, I don’t need to win 20 Grand Slams … I only need one.” Now that time has passed, he was asked if he still dreams. “I think in life, it’s a dream. I have many dreams.”

On this day, Monfils rolled back the clock and showed why tennis matters – and why he still matters to tennis.

Siegemund upsets World No. 5 Zheng, last year’s finalist 

As Day 4 unfolded in Melbourne, the first big upset took place in the women’s singles draw as 97th-ranked Laura Siegemund of Germany, making her eighth appearance in Melbourne and 27th major appearance overall, upset 2023 finalist and current World No. 5 Zheng Qinwen of China, 7-6 (3), 6-3, in two hours and 16 minutes on John Cain Arena Wednesday afternoon.

At age 36, Siegemund is the second-oldest in the women’s draw behind 37-year-old fellow German Tatjana Maria. Her victory over Zheng was her 11th against Top-10 opponents and first since 2022.

Playing fearless tennis, Siegemund hit 29 winners and converted three of six break points against Zheng, last year’s Olympic gold medalist, whose 29 winners were overshadowed by 25 unforced errors. Siegemund outpointed Zheng 85-74.

“I knew I had to play more than my best tennis,” Siegemund said during her on-court interview. “I had nothing to lose. I just told myself to swing free. She’s an amazing player – one of the best players right now.

“I know I can play well. I just wanted to show that to myself and make it a tough fight. Some days you just go outside and you have the ball on the racquet.”

Next, Siegemund will face No. 27 seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia, who defeated Russian Anastasia Potapova, ranked 36th, 7-6 (2), 2-6, 6-2.

Alcaraz makes quick work of Nishioka

World No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz of Spain needed just an hour and 21 minutes to advanced into the third round after defeating 65th-ranked Yoshihito Nishioka of Japan, 6-0, 6-1, 6-4, on Margaret Court Arena Wednesday afternoon.

Alcaraz struck 36 winners, including 14 aces, and made just 16 unforced errors. He dropped just four points on his first serve and faced no break points from Nishioka. The Spaniard converted six of 10 break points and outpointed his opponent 80–41.

“Looks like the less time you spend on court in slams, it’s gonna be better,” Alcaraz said in his on-court interview. “Especially physically. I’m feeling great, I guess. Trying to be focused and spend as little time as I can.”

Next, Alcaraz, who is chasing history to become the youngest man to win a career Grand Slam, will be No. 33 Nuno Borges of Portugal, who eliminated No. 27 seed Jordan Thompson of Australia, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4.

Around the Australian Open

• World No. 1 and top seed Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus advanced to the third round with a 6-3, 7-5 win over No. 54 Jessica Bouzas Maneiro of Spain in an hour and 34 minutes on Rod Laver Arena for her 16th straight win in Melbourne since 2023.

The two-time defending AO champion hit 26 winners and broke her opponent’s serve five times. She outpointed Bouzas Maneiro 77-64 to move into the third round against No. 42 Clara Tauson of Denmark, who defeated No. 90 Tatjana Maria of Germany, 6-2, 6-2, in 68 minutes on Court 7.

• No. 7 Jessica Pegula of the United States advanced to the third round after defeating No. 34 Elise Mertens of Belgium, 6-4, 6-2, in 71 minutes on Margaret Court Arena. It was the first time Pegula has beaten Mertens in four career meetings and she did it by hitting 24 winners while making just 10 unforced errors. Both players came in after being finalists in AO tune-up events, Pegula in Adelaide and Mertens in Hobart.

• No. 14 Mirra Andreeva of Russia gutted out a 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (10-8) victory over No. 63 Moyuka Uchijima of Japan that stretched over two hours and 19 minutes on Court 3. Andreeva struck 39 winners, nine of them aces, and outpointed her opponent 108-106.

• No. 23 Magdalena Frech of Poland advanced with a 0-6, 6-0, 6-2 win over No. 73 Anna Blinkova of Russia, while No. 25 seed Liudmila Samsonova of Russia was upset by No. 55 Olga Danilovic of Serbia, 6-1, 6-2.

Wednesday’s Australian Open results

Thursday’s Australian Open order of play

By the numbers

Two-time defending AO champion Aryna Sabalenka is also attempting to become the first woman to win three straight Australian Open singles titles since Martina Hingis from 1997 through 1999. With her second-round win today, she extending her AO winning streak to 16.

“Quotable …”

“When I arrived here [in Melbourne], my goal was to qualify for the main draw. Of course, my expectations are bigger now. I want more and more. [To] want more and more – that’s the mentality of a champion. Of course, I am very happy with the way that I played today, but I am already thinking about the next match. It’s going to be against a very great player [Lorenzo Sonego].

“The Next Gen ATP Finals gave me confidence. I’m playing great tennis, so I need to enjoy this moment, to play my best.”

– Brazilian qualifier Joao Fonseca, who upset No. 11 seed Andrey Rublev of Russia in the first round on Tuesday. Fonseca, the Next Gen ATP Finals champion has strung together 14 straight wins at all levels.

 

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