Video:Monfils' Ridiculous Running Smash Forehand in Beijing

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Video:Monfils' Ridiculous Running Smash Forehand in Beijing

Gael Monfils struck the SHOT OF THE DAY on Tuesday in Beijing, but much to his chagrin, the Frenchman couldn’t parlay that shotmaking genius into a first-round win over fellow veteran Fernando Verdasco.

Monfils fell in three sets, but not before bringing the crowd to life with this running smash (was it a smash or a forehand, or a bit of both?) in the tenth game of the second set against the Spaniard.

It took breathtaking speed, mind-blowing anticipation, and the daredevil athleticism that we’ve come to expect from Monfils to pull this shot off.

Unfortunately for Monfils, he was unable to handle Verdasco in the tiebreakers, and ended up falling, 2-6, 7-6(3), 7-6(5), despite holding a 4-0 lead in the third-set breaker.

In other results on Tuesday in Beijing, top-seeded Juan Martin del Potro powered past Albert Ramos-Vinolas, 7-5, 6-2, behind 10 aces to earn his 44th win of the season. It was a good day for seeds all around. Third-seeded Grigor Dimitrov edged Tennys Sandgren 7-5, 6-3, while fourth-seeded Fabio Fognini rallied to defeat Moldova’s Radu Albot, 1-6, 6-3, 6-3.

Nikoloz Basilashvili (d. Sock), Filip Krajinovic (d. Mischa Zverev), Andrey Rublev (d. Sousa), Matteo Berrettini (d. Mayer) and Marco Cecchinato (d. Baghdatis) were also winners on Tuesday.

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