Monfils Matches the Number of Wins for a French Player at Roland-Garros in the Open Era
This Tuesday evening, Gaël Monfils delivered another memorable night-session match to the spectators on Court Philippe-Chatrier. Trailing two sets to zero against Bolivian player Hugo Dellien, the Frenchman—injured by an advertising board in the very first game—took time to recover but eventually found his rhythm to secure the win (4-6, 3-6, 6-1, 7-6, 6-1 in 3 hours and 35 minutes).
With 58 winners, Monfils produced some brilliant shots, fueled by the electric atmosphere on Roland-Garros' center court. The scenario was reminiscent of two years ago, when the 38-year-old, dragged into a battle by Sebastian Baez, staged an incredible comeback in the fifth set to clinch the victory.
A veteran of such high-pressure moments, "La Monf" notched his 40th win at the Parisian Grand Slam, tying the record for the most victories by a French player in the Open Era.
As highlighted by the X (formerly Twitter) account *Jeu, Set et Maths*, Monfils now stands level with Yannick Noah, the 1983 champion in Paris, becoming co-leader in this ranking.
The two now lead ahead of Richard Gasquet (31 wins, who triumphed in his first-round match against Terence Atmane in his final Roland-Garros), Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (28), Henri Leconte (27), François Jauffret (27), and Gilles Simon (23).
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