By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Thursday October 19, 2023
Gael Monfils defeated Filip Misolic to set the record for most hard-court wins by a Frenchman.
Photo Source: AP
Gael Monfils is back and making hay on tour after a prolonged injury absence earlier this year.
The 37-year-old defeated Austrian qualifier Filip Misolic 6-4, 6-3 to become the most decorated hard court player in French history on Thursday, setting a quarterfinal clash with compatriot Adrian Mannarino.
Monfils improves to 11-10 overall on the season. The 2011 Stockholm champion is into his first indoor quarterfinal since 2021 Sofia, where he lost to Jannik Sinner in the final.
Monfils passes Richard Gasquet on the all-time list for hard court wins for a Frenchman, but Gasquet, who owns 602 wins across all surfaces, is still the top dog when it comes to tour-level ATP victories by Frenchmen.
MOST HARD-COURT WINS BY FRENCHMEN IN OPEN ERA (tour-level):
Gael Monfils, 356
Richard Gasquet, 355
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, 317
Gilles Simon, 301
Fabrice Santoro, 246
MOST WINS BY FRENCHMEN IN OPEN ERA (tour-level):
Richard Gasquet, 602
Gael Monfils, 536
Gilles Simon, 504
Yannick Noah, 482
Fabrice Santoro, 470
Wawrinka Bows out to Machac
Czech lucky loser Tomas Machac powered past Stan Wawrinka 6-4, 6-1 in 66 minutes to reach the quarterfinals. The 23-year-old World No.81, playing at a career-high ranking after winning two challenger titles in recent weeks, earns his second Top-50 win over the 46th-ranked 38-year-old.
Machac will face Serbia’s Laslo Djere in the quarterfinals.
Wawrinka falls to 26-20 on the season. He entered the match on a 17-match winning streak vs. Czech players.