By Ian Ransom
MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Gael Monfils’ blistering begin to the season continued on Sunday as he eased previous Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic 7-5 7-6(4) 6-3 to succeed in his second Australian Open quarter-finals.
With wife and high girls’s participant Elina Svitolina beaming within the crowd, the flamboyant Frenchman lit up the Margaret Court docket Enviornment with glowing shot-making to succeed in the final eight at Melbourne Park for the primary time since 2016.
“It was actually powerful, he performed extraordinarily quick on either side,” mentioned seventeenth seed Monfils, who will play Matteo Berrettini or Pablo Carrena Busta for a spot within the semi-finals.
“I attempted to be very aggressive immediately … It was simply battling, battling, hanging in there.”
Monfils wrapped up the match with trademark panache, leaping excessive to thump a backhand crosscourt winner and finish Kecmanovic’s dream run for the reason that Serb averted a first-round conflict towards the deported world primary Novak Djokovic.
At 35 and lately married, Monfils has a brand new lease on life, and needs to go even additional within the match.
“I wish to do higher …. We aren’t fairly completed but,” he mentioned.
(Reporting by Ian Ransom in Melbourne; Modifying by Ed Osmond)
Supply: KFGO
