Monfils sorts Korda, Gaston stumbles against Hurkacz at Indian Wells
Two French players were on the courts at the Indian Wells Masters 1000 from Saturday night to Sunday. They were Gaël Monfils and Hugo Gaston. Both players faced seeded opponents. Monfils, 38, took on Sebastian Korda (No. 24), while the Toulouse native challenged Hubert Hurkacz (No. 21).
In the night session and the last rotation on the center court, Monfils, always comfortable in tournaments with a lively atmosphere, confirmed his good form and excellent start to the season marked by a title in Auckland. Despite a tricky day on serve (9 double faults), La Monf’ limited the damage, showing efficiency on break points to recover from a deficit in the second set.
While serving for the match at 6-5 in the second set, Monfils saw Korda come back in the score, but he remained composed and ultimately sealed the deal in exactly 2 hours of play (7-6, 7-6).
In the first-ever meeting between the two, Monfils got the better of Korda and joined Grigor Dimitrov for a spot in the round of 16 in a duel between veterans.
On the other hand, Hugo Gaston will not see the third round. After his victory against Luciano Darderi, the 24-year-old fell to Hurkacz and his formidable serve (13 aces, 1 double fault, and 4 break points saved out of 4 for the Pole today).
Despite his efforts, the Toulouse native could do nothing despite winning 96% of points after his first serve. In 1 hour and 31 minutes of play, Hurkacz prevailed (7-5, 6-3) and will face Alex De Minaur in the third round.
In the men’s draw, four French players remain in contention. Besides Monfils, who will play his third round on Monday, Ugo Humbert, Arthur Fils, and Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard will attempt to reach the round of 16 today against Holger Rune, Lorenzo Musetti, and Tallon Griekspoor, who defeated Zverev in the previous round.
