Frenchman Gael Monfils overwhelmed worn-out compatriot Lucas Pouille 6-4 6-3 6-3 to become the first man into the semi-finals of the U.S. Open on Tuesday.
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The tenth seed ended Pouille’s dream run in NY, beating him 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 on the hard courts of a packed Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Monfils finished 24th seed Pouille with his 13th ace to lead off a huge day for the French, who placed three men in the quarter-finals of a grand slam for the first time since the 1947 French Open.
But the entertaining Monfils has been playing the best tennis of his career lately, winning all 15 sets he’s played at Flushing Meadows during this tournament.
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.
At last year’s U.S. Open, Vinci stunned Williams in the semifinals, ending the American’s bid for a calendar-year Grand Slam.
Novak Djokovic, Caroline Wozniacki and Roberta Vinci will seek to return to the U.S. Open semifinals Tuesday, part of a lineup that also features two Frenchmen battling for a spot in the final four. “I think I handled it pretty good mentally”, said Monfils.
Monfils repeatedly used lobs to try to take points from Pouille.
“It’s a court I love”, he told the crowd after finishing off Pouille. After concluding a 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 victory with little fuss, Monfils expressed his frustration at the way he is consistently labelled a showman or entertainer rather than a serious contender.
But a foot fault on set point in the opening set appeared to trip up Vinci and sent her tumbling out of the year’s final grand slam.
STAT OF THE DAY: 9 – Consecutive games won by Angelique Kerber to close out the match after Roberta Vinci served for the first set, up 5-4.
As she walked to the sideline, Vinci looked at the line judge who made the call and smiled sarcastically, giving him a thumb’s up and applauding with her racket. In the 2009 U.S. Open semifinals, Williams was angered by the same type of call: a foot fault that resulted in a double-fault; in that instance, it set up match point for her opponent, Kim Clijsters.
On match point, Monfils needed no artistry or razzle dazzle racket work, as he served a 119 miles per hour ace for the victory.
On the first break of the second set, all four points for Monfils came off Pouille’s errors. Still, her varied game, filled with slices and drop shots and net rushes, gave Kerber fits for most of the first set. In 2008 he won his first major singles title with a victory over Tsonga in the Australian Open.
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Gael Monfils has advanced to his first U.S. Open semifinals after dazzling the crowd with his play..
