Gael Monfils Upends Fourth Seed, Taylor Fritz

Gael Monfils got revenge against American [4] Taylor Fritz for his loss at the 2019 Australian Open. This time the victory went to the Frenchman, 3-6, 7-5, 7-6(1), 6-4. Monfils is eleven years older than Fritz and he moved better and played better than his younger opponent. Next up for Monfils is another American, [21] Ben Shelton. Could Monfils surprise us all?

American Winners On Day 7

Embed from Getty Images

[8] Emma Navarro defeated former top ten player, Ons Jabeur, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4. [19] Madison Keys defeated fellow American, [10] Danielle Collins 6-4, 6-4. American Alex Michelsen is still going strong. He defeated [19] Karen Khachanov 6-3, 7-6(5), 6-2. Michelsen seems to like the conditions in Australia. He made it to the third round of the Australian Open last year, his best showing at a major to date. [16] Lorenzo Musetti lost to American [21] Ben Shelton. Shelton won 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(5). R. Ram/A. Krajicek defeated the wildcard doubles team of T. Schoolkate/A. Walton 6-2, 6-4.

Learner Tien Has Gotten Our Attention

The Cinderella story continues for American Learner Tien. The score does not do justice to the match. Corentin Moutet was cramping at the beginning of the third set and looked ready to admit defeat. He lay writhing on the court in pain and then got up and limped around a bit. He did not quit. He dug deep and challenged his young opponent to elevate his game emotionally, mentally, and physically. The Frenchman made Tien focus on his objective to win. Although it was a struggle, Tien eventually won the match 7-6(10), 6-3, 6-3.

Monfils’ Wife Also Upset The Fourth Seed

Embed from Getty Images

[28] Elina Svitolina defeated [4] Jasmine Paolini 2-6, 6-4, 6-0. [8] Alex de Minaur was pushed, but eventually her defeated [31] Francisco Cerundolo 5-7, 7-6(3), 6-3, 6-3. [6] Elena Rybakina defeated [32] Dayana Yastremska 6-3, 6-4. [9] Daria Kasatkina started of slowly, but [24] Yulia Putintseva could not avoid the 7-5, 6-1 defeat. [15] Beatriz Haddad Maia lost to Veronika Kudermetova, 4-6, 2-6.

ALL IMAGES COURTESY OF GETTY IMAGES