It is becoming obvious Gael Monfils can win tennis matches in either guise. But Monfils wasn’t fazed, and the lanky, swift of foot No. 10 seed placed lovely lobs over Pouille’s head all afternoon, smacked a return between his legs and outplayed the 22-year-old upstart Pouille en route to a 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 straight sets victory to advance to his first U.S. Open semifinal.
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Monfils has yet to lose a set in the tournament as the one-time flamboyant showman has taken a more serious approach to his matches recently. Seeded 10th, he will play No. 1 Novak Djokovic of Serbia for a spot in the Open final.
Novak Djokovic has made it that far at the U.S. Open by playing only two, because three opponents pulled out of the tournament with injuries.
It was the third time in five matches that an opponent’s injury has worked to Djokovic’s advantage, after his walkover into the third round where Mikhail Youzhny retired after just six games.
In the quarterfinals, Djokovic noticed Tsonga’s service speed dropping as the match went along.
Monfils said he “might watch a little bit” of Djokovic vs. Tsonga, pulling for what he called “a full French semifinal”. I think I did it great today. “Yes, it’s gifted, but it’s a lot of work”.
The loss ends a thrilling run from Pouille, who defeated 14-time grand slam victor Rafael Nadal to get to the last eight in a grand slam for the second time.
After 19 sets and more than 12 hours on court, Pouille couldn’t muster the same kind of energy against Monfils that he had in earlier matches.
“It’s a court I love”, he told the crowd during an on-court interview. “He is better than me”, said Monfils, before suggesting that a breakthrough was possible on any given day. “That’s the position where I want to be”. When you make the show, honestly, it’s to entertain, but it’s (also) to win. “What’s the point to make the show and lose, actually?” When Djokovic is at his best, his returns, court coverage and groundstrokes are as it good as it gets in today’s game.
“What Novak’s doing is wonderful”, Monfils said. ‘The goal is to keep him motivated and not to listen people who say he is a living Lord.
Call him “Cirque du Monfils”. “No, I might ask him so many questions”. How do you think about everything? “I think it is never easy to play a quarter-final against a French guy, you know”, he said.
Vinci was the runner-up at Flushing Meadows a year ago, reaching her first major final by stunning Serena Williams to end the American’s bid for the first calendar-year Grand Slam in tennis in more than a quarter-century.
Wozniacki, twice the runner-up at Flushing Meadows, will meet No. 2 Angelique Kerber in Thursday’s semifinals.
Kerber’s first U.S. Open semifinal since 2011 will come against two-time runner-up Caroline Wozniacki, a 6-0, 6-2 victor against Anastasija Sevastova, who injured her right ankle in the second game and was never able to get herself going in the match.
The 48th-ranked Sevastova twisted her right ankle on the opening point of the second game and clearly was hampered by that.
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But after being two points from taking the first set against Kerber while serving for it at 5-4, 30-all, the No. 7-seeded Vinci faltered badly. “For sure I would take quarterfinals”.
