Frenchman Gael “Force” Monfils and Brit Johanna Konta were surprise winners this week at the Citi Open in Washington, D.C., kicking off the USA summer hardcourt season in the U.S. The match didn’t disappoint, with Monfils prevailing by 5-7 7-6 6-4 in just 2 hours and 13 minutes, saving one match point in the second set tie break. “For me there was everything to win because I was the favourite”, said world No 39 Fognini.
Advertisement
Fognini won the final two games of the first set and cruised during the second to finish off a 68-minute victory.
“This has just been an wonderful week for me”, said Wickmayer.
“I grew up with those names”, Monfils told reporters.
Monfils, ranked No. 17 in the world, has never lost before the semifinals in all three career appearances at the tournament, having reached the final in 2011, when he lost to Czech veteran Radek Stepanek, and the semifinals in 2007, when he ran into another big server in American John Isner. “I don’t know why, but my serve stopped [when serving for the match]”. That contributed to Monfils getting the key break for 2-1. In the title match, Fognini faced Slovak Andrej Martin, who played only his 6th ATP event and the first final.
And Monfils did it by figuring out a way to just barely neutralize the big serve of the 6-foot-11 Karlovic enough to matter.
Monfils became the third French player to win the Washington crown after Yannick Noah in 1985 and Arnaud Clement in 2006 and noted how Noah and 1973 victor Arthur Ashe were special inspirations to him.
Karlovic was broken in the third game of the decider and it proved fatal to his chances, Monfils needing just one of two match points to record what had appeared an unlikely victory.
Monfils was asked on what he recalls best about his finals opponent Ivo Karlovic, considering that their last match took place half a decade ago. He served above 70% and his forehand worked well in the first part of the match, but he was just powerless in front of such a strong rival, who stayed focused from first to the last point, determined to finally lift an ATP trophy after a long drought. Monfils was unable to convert any of those break points and Ivo manages to hold in the end, taking the opener 7-5. It happens I guess. “Definitely to have my name next to them, it’s priceless….” Monfils finished with 16 aces and seven double faults, while Karlovic had 28 aces and four double faults to finish with a tournament-leading 108 aces. I’m not used to that. With the temperature nearing 100 degrees Sunday, it made for even tougher conditions for Monfils to try to deal with those high-bouncing serves.
“I know how it felt being out there the first time in my career, playing a final”, Wickmayer said. Monfils took control of almost all aspects of the match. He earned a championship point with a backhand passing shot down the line, his seventh backhand victor of the match that elicited some of the loudest cheers of the day.
Advertisement
Alexander Peya and Lukasz Kubot sets up a finals meeting with doubles specialists Edouard Roger-Vasselin and Daniel Nestor. “A title is always a title”.
