BIG-SERVING MONFILS SURGES PAST GASQUET FOR MONTPELLIER TROPHY
Montpellier, France
Gael Monfils has a 6-4 FedEx ATP Head2Head record against Richard Gasquet after lifting the Montpellier trophy.
Spoiler:
Gael Monfils captured his fifth ATP World Tour title in his 21st final on Sunday when he defeated his good friend and defending champion, Richard Gasquet, 6-4, 6-4 at the Open Sud de France.
Monfils has now lifted the Montpellier trophy on two occasions. Four years ago, he beat Ivan Ljubicic in a three-set final and reached the final (l. to Berdych) in 2012.
"This is unbelievable for me," said Monfils. "I had some back problems at the beginning of the week and I didn't know if I was going to be able to play, so to now be with the trophy is pretty crazy. I have been elevating my game match after match and I am extremely proud in the way I played today. I really enjoy playing here in Montpellier. I love the atmosphere there is in this arena."
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The fifth seed received €77,315 in prize money and 250 Emirates ATP Ranking points. The World No. 30 also finished runner-up to Rafael Nadal at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open last month. He is now 5-16 lifetime in ATP World Tour finals.
"It was great to be in final here once again," said Gasquet. "I am extremely disappointed to have lost in the final, but that’s tennis. I need to congratulate Gael because he’s played unbelievable all week. I wasn’t able to read his serve, he was serving bullets all match. My only way out was to try to push him to a tie-break and wait for him to start making mistakes. But it didn’t happen."
The Last Time... With Monfils
Monfils won 26 of his 28 first service points and struck nine aces past top seed and fellow 27-year-old Gasquet in the pair’s 10th FedEx ATP Head2Head meeting. Monfils, who leads their series 6-4, ends the week having 51 aces in total.
Gasquet earned €40,720 and 150 points. The World No. 9 was making his fourth appearance at the ATP World Tour 250 indoor hard-court tournament (9-3 overall).
"It was a great week for me here," said Gasquet. "Great to be in the final after the Davis Cup weekend, and a good start in my collaboration with Sergi [Bruguera]. It’s an honour to have him in my team. He is coming with me to Rotterdam and Marseille."
Monfils has now lifted the Montpellier trophy on two occasions. Four years ago, he beat Ivan Ljubicic in a three-set final and reached the final (l. to Berdych) in 2012.
"This is unbelievable for me," said Monfils. "I had some back problems at the beginning of the week and I didn't know if I was going to be able to play, so to now be with the trophy is pretty crazy. I have been elevating my game match after match and I am extremely proud in the way I played today. I really enjoy playing here in Montpellier. I love the atmosphere there is in this arena."
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The fifth seed received €77,315 in prize money and 250 Emirates ATP Ranking points. The World No. 30 also finished runner-up to Rafael Nadal at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open last month. He is now 5-16 lifetime in ATP World Tour finals.
"It was great to be in final here once again," said Gasquet. "I am extremely disappointed to have lost in the final, but that’s tennis. I need to congratulate Gael because he’s played unbelievable all week. I wasn’t able to read his serve, he was serving bullets all match. My only way out was to try to push him to a tie-break and wait for him to start making mistakes. But it didn’t happen."
The Last Time... With Monfils
Monfils won 26 of his 28 first service points and struck nine aces past top seed and fellow 27-year-old Gasquet in the pair’s 10th FedEx ATP Head2Head meeting. Monfils, who leads their series 6-4, ends the week having 51 aces in total.
Gasquet earned €40,720 and 150 points. The World No. 9 was making his fourth appearance at the ATP World Tour 250 indoor hard-court tournament (9-3 overall).
"It was a great week for me here," said Gasquet. "Great to be in the final after the Davis Cup weekend, and a good start in my collaboration with Sergi [Bruguera]. It’s an honour to have him in my team. He is coming with me to Rotterdam and Marseille."