Gaël Monfils, 276th in the world, qualified for the quarter-finals of the Masters 1000 in Toronto on Thursday by defeating, 6-4, 6-4, Australian Aleksandar Vukic in eighth.
The Frenchman continued his momentum after having achieved a feat in the previous round, that of beating the world No.4 Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Relying on his first balls (9 aces), as against the Greek, the 36-year-old converted one break point per set out of seven attempts in total.
“I serve better now, and my forehand is also one of the keys to my game (…) the movements are also important”, he analyzed, saying he was happy to have been “almost 100 %”.
Opposite, Vukic only got two chances, well defended by Monfils.
“This is my first quarter-final in two years. It’s good to play again,” he savored.
Regularly bothered by physical glitches, the Frenchman had in particular had to withdraw in the second round of the last Roland-Garros.
Back from injury in the United States, he had gleaned two victories in Washington before lining up at the Masters 1000 in Toronto where he, in addition to having defeated Tsitsipas, dismissed the world No.29 Christopher Eubanks for his entry into run.
“When I’m at 100%, I feel I can be competitive,” added Gaël Monfils, down to 276th in the standings and who will face Jannik Sinner for a place in the last four. A very big piece.
