2011 Kooyong AAMI Classic: Gael Monfils ousts defending champion Fernando Verdasco
In a top 20 clash, Gael Monfils officially kicked off his 2011 season when he met Fernando Verdasco on Wednesday. The two superstars are part of an eight man field playing the exhibition event, the 2011 Kooyong AAMI Classic, at the Kooyong Stadium in Melbourne.
Seeded fifth in the event and ranked twelfth in the world, Monfils is putting in his second appearance at the event. His debut at the event came in 2006 where he finished in eighth place losing to Andy Roddick in the first round and then to Max Mirnyi and
Ivan Ljubicic in the playoffs draw. However, this time round Monfils met with success when he made it past the first round and ousted the defending champion, Fernando Verdasco.
This victory came as much delight to the Frenchman especially since he finished 2010 with a loss. Playing at the Davis Cup Final in December 2010, Monfils lost his rubber against Novak Djokovic costing France the cup. Other than this loss, Monfils had one
of his better seasons in 2010 winning the home title at Montpellier and putting in final appearances at the Paris Masters, at Stuttgart and at Tokyo.
Ranked higher than the Frenchman, Verdasco finished 2010 with two titles winning them at San Jose and Barcelona. He also put in final appearances at the Monte Carlo Masters and at the Nice event. His run for the season finale event in London was put to a
halt by Monfils when the latter won their match at the Paris Masters.
This had been the pair’s second meeting on the court. Although unofficial, their meeting at Kooyong on Wednesday was their third. Already enjoying a 2-0 lead, Monfils was able to extend his lead after he forced Verdasco's exit
Having won the event in 2010, Verdasco is appearing at the event for the third straight year. He debuted in 2009 but failed then to make it past the semis owing to his loss to eventual champion Roger Federer.
Opening the serve, Verdasco rushed into the lead and with a loss of four games was able to secure a 6-4 victory in the first set. However, Monfils bounced back in the second set taking it into tiebreaker. Both marvels went at it head to head keeping the
score for ten points. It was only at the eleventh that Monfils managed a break and won the tiebreaker 7-5. With one set each going to both players, the match entered the decider. This time round Monfils maintained his form and turned over the tables. Dominating
the defending champion, Monfils was able to secure a 6-4 victory in the decider.
After winning the match, Monfils said, "It was good, it was the first match of the season, I’m pretty happy. It was a tough start to the match, but once I found my rhythm, I was moving well. I was the aggressor on the court.” Monfils had prepared in the
off season with more running and gym-ing than hitting the courts.
Monfils now goes ahead to meet either compatriot Jo-Wilfried Tsonga or Jurgen Melzer. The Melzer Tsonga matchup has been shifted to Thursday on account of rain.
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