Gael Monfils stuns Tomas Berdych in opening round – French Open 2013
Local wildcard contender, Gael Monfils, upset the fifth seed, Tomas Berdych, in opsy-turvy five sets at the Roland Garros 2013 on Monday. He recorded a 7-6(8), 6-4, 6-7(3), 6-7(4), 7-5 victory against the Czech to secure a spot
in the round of 64 at this major clay court event taking place in Paris, France.
The French contender made strong start and quickly bagged the opening two sets. He lost his track afterwards but found his rhythm again in the end, eventually sealing the deal in almost four hours. With this victory, Monfils lowered
trail in the FedEx ATP Head 2 Head series by 1-3 against the world number six.
The 26-year-old commented in an on-court interview after bagging the match, "It's a unique moment because I have not won such matches for a long time, and I have not performed, if I can say, mentally, physically. It's one of the
best ones I have played here. I believed I would win during the whole match. I have gone through very difficult moments, so you get tougher.”
Both contestants made a careful start, as they held their respective serves and stayed levelled with each other. The set went to a tie-breaker where Monfils prevailed and ultimately clicked the opener with a 7-6(8) win.
Monfils carried his momentum in the proceeding set. He got the coveted break in the third game and leaped to a 3-1 lead. The Frenchman held his remaining serves with poise and clinched the set with a 6-4 score line.
The world number six, Berdych re-focused in the proceeding set. He availed an early break chance in the second game and jumped to a 3-0 lead. Despite squandering his edge in the ninth game, the Czech dominated in it and pocketed
the set with a 7-6(3) success.
The 27-year-old maintained consistency in his game in the fourth set. He played carefully and dragged the set to another tie-breaker. Berdych cruised to a 3-0 lead before closing out the equaliser with a 7-6(4) victory.
In the deciding set, Monfils re-gained his strength. He got the only break of the set in the second last game and subsequently sealed the decider with a 7-5 win.
The disappointed Czech reflected after exiting in the opening set, "I had one chance in the fifth set. I didn't make it. He made one, so he made it. That's absolutely what was the difference between us today. He's playing at home
and he's a great player."
Monfils will next take on the Latvian challenger, Ernests Gulbis, in the second round.
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