By Richard Pagliaro | Tuesday, February 26, 2019
Rotterdam champion Gael Monfils scored his sixth straight win with a 6-3, 4-6, 6-0 conquest of Marin Cilic in Dubai.
Photo credit: Mark Peterson/Corleve
A soaring smash in the final set showed Gael Monfils' explosive entertainment value.
These days, Monfils is a convincing closer too.
Khachanov: Don't Stop Believing
The Rotterdam champion spoiled Marin Cilic's comeback scoring a 6-3, 4-6, 6-0 conquest posting his sixth straight win in Dubai.
Monfils continued his mastery of Cilic, raising his record to 4-0 against the third-seeded Croatian. Cilic was playing just his second tournament of the season as knee injuries forced him out of Pune and Rotterdam.
Empowered by his victory over Stan Wawrinka to capture his eighth career title in Rotterdam, Monfils raised his record to 4-0 in matches going the three-set distance this season.
A resurgent Monfils delivered 30 winners more than doubling his 14 unforced errors. Monfils broke serve five times and was nearly untouchable on his own serve in the decider slashing through several love holds to improve to 10-2 this season.
The world No. 23 will meet Marcos Baghdatis for a trip to the quarterfinals. In a battle of wild cards, Baghdatis beat Mohamed Safwat, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.
Rust was clear in the opening game. Cilic blew a 40-15 lead, pushing a routine backhand volley wide, double faulting and jerking a forehand well wide as Monfils was gifted the opening break without doing much at all.
The Rotterdam champion confirmed the break at 30. Cilic rapped his first ace to cap a love hold for 1-2.
In the sixth game, Monfils downshifted from defense to delight.
Pinned outside the doubles alley, the Frenchman raced right and flicked a sensational running forehand pass to freeze Cilic. Monfils followed that dazzling drive drilling his second ace to hold for 4-2.
An dynamic pirouette volley that left Monfils with his back to net followed by a game-ending ace put the Frenchman up 5-3.
The forehand can be a boom or bust shot for Cilic.
It was both in the ninth game as the Croatian cracked a forehand to save a set point then floated a forehand long, starting and ending the 34-minute opening set surrendering serve.
Finding his range, Cilic staved off the first break of the second set winning a punishing backhand-to-backhand exchange that spanned 19 shots.
That sequence spurred Cilic, who was hammering his forehand with menacing intent as he ran through six straight points scoring a love break for a 3-2 second-set lead. Cilic used a slick forehand drive volley rallying from 15-30 down to back up the break.
Serving for the set, Cilic saved a break point with a flurry of forcing forehands. A pulsating rally that followed finished with Monfils whipping a forehand to rattle an error for a second break point. Cilic denied it with a forehand down the line.
A gritty Cilic fended off a third break point before converting his third set point on a floated error to force a final set after one hour, 23 minutes.
That was Cilic's last stand.
The gangly Frenchman showed hops soaring for a smash to start the final set. Playing determined defense, Monfils sprinted side-to-side a few times concluding an 18-shot rally coaxing a netted error to break for 2-0 with a heart-felt "Allez!"
Monfils tore through 12 of the first 13 points, slamming successive love holds for a 3-0 third-set lead.
Playing a no-pace short ball to draw the Wimbledon finalist forward, Monfils slid a forehand pass down the line erupting in an extended "Allez!" breaking again. Monfils streaked through 12 straight points on serve sealing his third straight love hold for 5-0.
The 32-year-old Frenchman closed in one hour, 45 minutes.
Kei Nishikori made a successful Dubai debut dismissing nemesis Benoit Paire, 6-4, 6-3.
The top-seeded Nishikori denied all eight break points he faced in an 81-minute victory to raise his 2019 record to 12-2.
“Never easy playing Benoit, of course," said Nishikori, who beat Paire for the fourth time in a row to seize a 6-2 lead in their head-to-head series. "Great serve, great backhand. Tricky player. Good drop shot, good touch. First set I think the key was the longest game, I think 2-1. Able to get the game. I was more confident. If he broke back, anything can happen.
"It was good match. Never easy with this wind. First time playing this tournament. But, yeah, think played good enough tennis today.”
Qualifier Ricardas Berankis toppled eighth-seeded Daniil Medvedev, advancing to a round-of-16 clash vs. American Denis Kudla.
Aggessive court positioning was the key to today's win, said Berankis.
"The plan was to stay as close as possible to the line and not to get in his game, which is to get into those long rallies which he loves,” Berankis said. “Everything seemed to be going my way out there. Perhaps, the two qualifying matches also helped to an extent, and along with that the belief that I could do it out there.
“I cannot say I was surprised. Actually, I was not really thinking about it. I was trying to keep up my plan and it gave me the result. This win is big. You beat a Top-20 player and that gives you a lot of confidence.”