Thereafter, Rafael Nadal passed his third round without incident against Briton Daniel Evans, thus remaining the event’s last big favorite.
Gael Monfils, with panic and pain, offered himself a surprise breakthrough at the cost of world No. 1 Daniil Medvedev, who will no longer be there next Monday, to advance to the Round of 16 of the Indian Masters 1000 Wales.
According to him, before arriving in California, the Frenchman (n.26) had not played for five weeks, having been flattened by a “mysterious” illness. But this was not seen. Because if the Earth shook very little near Indian Wells – on the Richter scale – 3.1, Monfils was at the epicenter of another minor earthquake in the tournament, leaving the Russian 4-6, 6-3, 6-1.
“It was great. I feel great, I feel strong. I’m so happy right now,” he said. Medvedev hoped to eventually pass the 8th mark for his fifth participation. He’ll still have to wait. And in this California desert that doesn’t succeed for him, this failure favors Novak Djokovic, absent for not being vaccinated against Covid, coupled with the assured loss of his place as world N.1 Is.
monfils show
However, his first set was not a walk in the park, but a glimpse of a better result than a defeat. Well settled in defense, he waited for Monfils to break through in the 9th game, making four consecutive unforced errors (including two double faults), then finished with another shutout. But Parisian bravely continued to play up his luck, increasing the intensity in the second set, varying the pace with volleys, drop shots and even underarm serves. The other, at a set point, for the equalizer, pushed the Russian at fault.
And the public, fans of the French provider of “Showtime”, laughed, even after testing him with the end of the racket, seeing the sensitivity of the top of the net, which seemed to “let” an ace cancel . Monfils took the lead in the third set. In a reverse movement, his opponent, guilty of another unforced error, dropped his racket to the ground. And the Frenchman never opened the noose, playing fair and strong when necessary, to present himself on his 6th match point, the second of his career at World N.1 after a victory against Rafael Nadal in 2009. Victory.