After two years of struggling, the French, the 81st worldwide, managed to beat the seeded No. 6, Czech Tomas Berdych in the first round of Roland Garros.
The Guadeloupian achieved it: This is the first beautiful moment of this 2013 edition of Roland Garros.
After a fierce and extremely tight five-set battle, Monfils eliminated the Czech Tomas Berdych on Monday in the first round of the Internationaux de France (7-6, 6-4, 6-7, 6-7, 7-5).
At ease in the baseline, very specific about his big forehand, powerful operation, who has so often shone at Roland Garros – three times the quarter-finalist and semi-finalist in 2010 – stood up to Berdych who, however, in recent weeks, had shown on clay – in the semifinals in Rome and Madrid – throughout the game.
In the second round, Monfils will still be strong to face the Latvian Ernest Gulbis.
The results of this Monday:
Roland Garros: the results of Monday
Men’s simple(first round):
Richard Gasquet (FRA/N.7) beat Sergiy Stakhovsky (UKR) 6-1, 6-4, 6-3
Gael Monfils (FRA) beat Tomas Berdych (CZE/N.5) 7-6 (10/8), 6-4, 6-7 (3/7), 6-7 (4/7), 7-5
Edouard Roger-Vasselin (FRA) beat Martin Alund (ARG) 6-2, 4-6, 6-1, 6-0
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA/N.6) beat Aljaz Bedene (SLO) 6-2, 6-2, 6-3
Jarkko Nieminen (FIN) beat Paul-Henri Mathieu (FRA) 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (11/9), 4-6, 6-2
Robin Haase (NED) beat Kenny De Schepper (FRA) 6-4, 7-6 (7/3), 2-6, 6-3
Pablo Cuevas (URU) beat Adrian Mannarino (FRA) 6-3, 2-6, 6-3, 5-7, 7-5
Ryan Harrison (USA) beat Andrey Kuznetsov (RUS) 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (7/4)
John Isner (USA/N.19) beat Carlos Berlocq (ARG) 6-3, 6-4, 6-4
Rafael Nadal (ESP/N.3) beat Daniel Brands (GER) 4-6, 7-6 (7/4), 6-4, 6-3
Martin Klizan (SVK) beat Michael Russell (USA) 3-6, 6-3, 6-1, 0-0 (retired)
Lukás Rosol (CZE) bt Pere Riba (ESP) 6-3, 6-4, 6-4
Fabio Fognini (ITA/N.27) beat Andreas Beck (GER) 6-3, 7-5, 6-3
Grega Zemlja (SLO) bt Santiago Giraldo (COL) 6-1, 6-4, 6-1
Kei Nishikori (JPN/N.13) beat Jesse Levine (CAN) 6-3, 6-2, 6-0
Ernests Gulbis (LAT) beat Rogerio Dutra Silva (BRA) 6-1, 7-6 (7/4), 6-3
Igor Sijsling (NED) beat Jurgen Melzer (AUT) 6-4, 6-3, 6-2
Tommy Robredo (ESP/N.32) beat Jurgen Zopp (EST) 6-3, 6-2, 6-1
Nicolas Almagro (ESP/N.11) beat Andreas Haider-Maurer (AUT) 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-3
Evgeny Donskoy (RUS) beat Jan-Lennard Struff (GER) 7-6 (9/7), 2-6, 7-6 (7/2), 6-2
Feliciano Lopez (ESP) beat Marcel Granollers (ESP/N.31) 7-5, 2-6, 6-4, 4-6, 6-4
Albert Montanes (ESP) defeated Steve Johnson (USA) 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, 3-6, 6-1
Daniel Gimeno (ESP) beat Juan Monaco (ARG/N.17) 4-6, 4-6, 7-6 (7/4), 6-4, 6-4
Nick Kyrgios (AUS) beat Radek Stepanek (CZE) 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (10/8), 7-6 (13/11)
Marin Cilic (CRO/N.10) beat Philipp Petzschner (GER) 6-1, 6-2, 6-3
Julien Benneteau (FRA/N.30) beat Ricardas Berankis (LTU) 7-6 (7/5), 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (7/5)
Tobias Kamke (GER) beat Paolo Lorenzi (ITA) 6-3, 6-3, 3-6, 0-6, 6-3
Women’s Simple (1st round):
Johanna Larsson (SWE) beat Monica Niculescu (ROM) 6-2, 6-3
Roberta Vinci (ITA/N.15) beat Stephanie Foretz (FRA) 6-3, 6-0
Caroline Wozniacki (DEN/N.10) beat Laura Robson (GBR) 6-3, 6-2
Bojana Jovanovski (SRB) def Záhlavová Barbora Strycova (CZE) 6-3, 6-2
Magdalena Rybarikova (SVK) defeated Pauline Parmentier (FRA) 6-0, 6-1
Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS) beat Ekaterina Makarova (RUS/N.22) 6-4, 6-2
Varvara Lepchenko (USA/N.29) beat Mirjana Lucic (CRO) 6-1, 6-2
Elina Svitolina (UKR) beat Romina Oprandi (SUI) 6-3, 4-6, 6-1
Jana Cepelova (SVK) beat Christina McHale (USA) 7-6 (7/3), 2-6, 6-4
Angelique Kerber (GER/N.8) beat Mona Barthel (GER) 7-6 (8/6), 6-2
Agnieszka Radwanska (POL/N.4) beat Shahar Peer (ISR) 6-1, 6-1
Zuzana Kucova (SVK) defeated Julia Goerges (GER/N.24) 7-6 (10/8), 6-0
Mathilde Johansson (FRA) beat Chanelle Scheepers (RSA) 7-5, 6-1
Madison Keys (USA) beat Misaki Doi (JPN) 6-3, 6-2
Carla Suárez (ESP/N.20) beat Simona Halep (Rom) 3-6, 6-2, 6-2
María Teresa Torró (ESP) defeated Julia Glushko (ISR) 6-2, 7-5
Li Na (CHN/N.6) beat Anabel Medina Garrigues (ESP) 6-3, 6-4
Bethanie Mattek-Sands (USA) beat Lourdes Dominguez (ESP) 6-4, 6-1
Paula Ormaechea (ARG) defeated Tatjana Malek (GER) 6-3, 4-6, 6-0
Francesca Schiavone (ITA) beat Melinda Czink (HUN) 6-0, 7-6 (7/1)
Garbiñe Muguruza (ESP) def Karolína Plíšková (CZE) 4-6, 7-5, 6-3
Vania King (USA) beat Alexandra Cadantu (ROM) 7-6 (7/3), 6-1
Sloane Stephens (USA/N.17) beat Karin Knapp (ITA) 6-2, 7-5
Melanie Oudin (USA) beat Tamira Paszek (AUT/N.28) 6-4, 6-3
Jie Zheng (CHN) beat Vesna Manasieva (SRB) 6-4, 6-1
Eugenie Bouchard (CAN) beat Tsvetana Pironkova (BUL) 6-1, 7-6 (7/2)
Maria Sharapova (RUS/N.2) beat Su-Wei Hsieh (TPE) 6-2, 6-1