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Gael Monfils amazed the crowd at the BNP Paribas Open by beating Hubert Hurkacz after a real battle. The Frenchman gave a great show to the Indian Wells crowd, especially with his sensational shots. “I’m playing well and I feel that I’m getting better and better at creating a game with which I can compete with those players,” Monfils told L’Equipe after the 6-0 6-7(5) 6-2 success over the Pole.
One of the most spectacular moments of the match was a rally won by the Frenchman with a crazy smash, at the end of a tough exchange at the net. Hurkacz seemed to have won the point, but Monfils defended the net well. Two tweeners from the Pole were not enough to break down Gael’s defense, who finished with a fantastic smash.
Below is the video shared on X by the BNP Paribas Open account.
UN. REAL 🤯
Take a bow, @Gael_Monfils 👏#IndianWells | #TennisParadise pic.twitter.com/uVfcNk2FQX — BNP Paribas Open (@BNPPARIBASOPEN) March 10, 2024
The other matches
Novak Djokovic achieved his 400th ATP Masters 1000 tournament victory on the day he returned to Indian Wells after five long years of absence.
Only the Serbian champion and Rafael Nadal have reached 400 victories in the ATP Masters 1000. The Serb beat Aleksandar Vukic with a score of 6-2, 5-7, 6-3. Vukic felt the tension at the beginning of the match, losing serve.
Djokovic failed to extend and had to cancel a break point at 2-1. The Australian let go and only collected two games. Against all odds, the 36-year-old started the second set terribly, finding himself immediately behind due to a wide backhand.
The missed smash on the first of three consecutive counter-break balls sent a message to Vukic, who showed more courage. Djokovic still equalized the score in the fifth game, but at 5-6 he played the worst serve of his match, conceding two set points to his rival, who surprised everyone with a winning return.
In the decisive set, the Serbian adjusted things and improved his serve percentage. His next opponent will be Luca Nardi.
Daniil Medvedev also wins.
The Russian authoritatively controlled the match against Roberto Carballes Baena and will now face Sebastian Korda in the third round. A smash completed the work started with the backhand and allowed Medvedev to convert the first opportunity of the dispute at 3-2 and take the set.
The Russian risked putting Carballes Baena back in the running in the central phase of the second set, but made up for the errors definitively at 4-3. Milos Raonic announced his withdrawal due to an unspecified injury a few hours before the match against Holger Rune . Taylor Fritz and Grigor Dimitrov defeated Alejandro Tabilo and Alexandre Muller respectively.