Gael Monfils battles past Philipp Kohlschreiber into the round of 32 – Mutua Madrid Open 2012
Seeded 12th in the draw, Gael Monfils of France passed a stern test, as he defeated world number 25, Philipp Kohlschreiber, in three sets 7-5, 6-7(2), 6-3 in his opening match at the Mutua Madrid Open in Spain on Tuesday.
It took the Frenchman two hours and 10 minutes to come out victorious from the match.
Kohlschreiber was first to move ahead, as he clinched breakthrough in the sixth game and won his following serve to race to a 5-2 lead. The German could not carry on with the same momentum, as it was all Monfils show after that, with the Frenchman claiming five in a row to win 7-5.
Monfils fired five aces and 68 percent of the first serves in the opening set, capturing 21 of the 28 points on them. The French was loose on the second deliveries, dropping eight of the 13 points but compensated by collecting eight of the 14 on the second returns in the opener.
In the second set, both players broke each other once till the end, taking the score to 6-6 and forcing a tie-breaker. Kohlschreiber played tremendously well at that moment, as he allowed Monfils to win just two points and sealed it 7-6(2).
The German banged in one ace and committed a couple of double faults in the second set. He maintained a first serve percentage of 70 and converted 23 of the 30 of them into points. The 28-year-old did a very good job on the second returns, as he pocketed 12 of the 19 points on them. Kohlschreiber could not save one of the four break points he faced but balanced it by converting one of the three chances he received.
The final set went with serves in the first seven games, taking the score to 4-3 in favour of the Frenchman. Monfils snatched the deciding break in the eighth and made the most of it to triumph 6-3.
The 6ft 4in tall smashed three aces and 70 percent of the first deliveries, clutching 13 of the 16 points on them in the decider. He did not lose any point on the second serves, winning all of the seven. The French availed the one chance he received and did not give any to his opponent.
Monfils is drawn to take on Russia’s Igor Andreev in the second round. Andreev, who had to come through qualifiers to enter the main draw, stunned former world number one, Juan Carlos Ferrero, in the opener.
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