Frenchman Gael Monfils came out firing on all cylinders to come back from the brink of defeat to surge to a 1-6, 7-6(5), 6-3 victory over world No. 43 Pedro Martinez after two hours and 25 minutes at the ASB Classic on Tuesday in Auckland.
Following a breathtaking first-round clash with the Spanish player, he commented: “It’s been more than 20 years I’ve been on Tour. I’ve been down 6-1 many times. I have experience in that.
“Trust yourself. It wasn’t great tennis at the beginning. At some stage, things get better. And you need to take the opportunity.”
Monfils made a slow start to the first set while Martinez, 27, capitalized on his chances. Ultimately, his performance on the return made the difference, wrapping up 6-1.
Lengthy games set the tone of a tight second set until the Spaniard found breathing room to break his adversary and hold to earn a 5-2 lead.
From there, the 12-time ATP titlist regrouped behind his powerful serve, setting in motion an impressive recovery that saw him 2-5 down on the scoreboard to break and hold, setting level at 5-5.
The close battle unfolded into a tiebreak that Monfils won in 63 minutes to force a decider.
The former world No. 6 built upon momentum; excited to push forward, he quickly controlled the third set, fending off a break point in the ninth game to seal the game 6-3 and the match.
The 38-year-old magic on court remains a powerful asset for the player who has just become the oldest to win a match in Auckland since 1971.
He fired eight aces throughout the contest, converted 2 of 5 break points, and won 75 percent of the points on his first serve.
The charismatic Parisian-born continues to show his caliber, delivering dazzling performances while finding joy sliding on the court like a 20-year-old.
Comes to mind the opening match held last August at the Cincinnati Open Masters 1000 in which he took the better of former world No. 1 and four-time major champion Carlos Alcaraz - 17 years his junior - an edgy encounter he took in three nail-baiting sets.
Competing at such a high level after two decades on Tour goes beyond results. It reflects his passion for the sport, relentless attitude, mindset, athleticism, and notable skills.
Regardless of age or ranking, and though he has struggled with career-threatening injuries, he always looks to give his best when he steps onto a tennis court.
On Wednesday, he will face world No. 42 Jan-Lennard Struff, who toppled Chinese Yunchaokete Bu 6-3, 6-4 in 81 minutes at the ATP 250 tournament.
He leads the German player 2-0 in their series.