Gael Monfils knocks down Olivier Rochus in the first round – Moselle Open 2012
Right-hander local challenger, Gael Monfils, prevailed over the Belgian professional, Olivier Rochus, in the first round of the Moselle Open in France. Monfils summed up his 6-3, 6-2 victory in a total of one
hour on the eve of Tuesday.
The duo faced each other for the seventh time and the Frenchman sustained his 4-3 lead in the head-to-head series. Previously, the 26-year-old defeated his challenger, 4-6, 6-1, 6-2 in the first round of the
indoor hard courts at the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament in Netherlands.
Since the start of the opening set, both the players were unable to hold their initial serve and proved their strong defence. For the first part of the starter, Rochus provided his rival with a tough competition
and levelled the score line twice, at 2-all in the fourth game and subsequently at 3-all in the sixth game. The Frenchman nudged forward and closed the set with a 6-3 score.
The seventh seeded, Monfils fired 11 aces onto his rival’s court, with an average initial serve accuracy of 58 percent. He displayed an exceptional score of 14 of 14 first and four of 10 second delivery points
in the opening set. On the other hand, the right-hander Belgian displayed 50 first serve precision, seven of 11 first and five of 11 second points.
In the next set, the 31-year-old Belgian was unable to grasp his initial serve once again and bestowed the first two games to Monfils. The French professional did not face a single break in the series and confidently
continued his journey until the end. He broke his rival’s serve in the second last game and secured a 6-2 win.
Ranked 44th in the ATP World Tour Rankings, Frenchman bombarded 10 aces with 70 percent initial serve accuracy. He brilliantly capitalized 14 of 14 first and two of six second delivery
points. The Belgian professional manifested 56 percent initial serve precision, with 13 of 18 first and two of 14 second serve points.
For the second round Monfils will fight against the winner of match between Nicolas Mahut and Daniel Brands. Due to his remarkable stats, he has a fair chance to upset all contenders and mark an emphatic end
to the current season.
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