Gael Monfils became the second oldest player in history to win a match at the prestigious APT Masters 1000 Miami Open tennis tournament.
The Frenchman continues to defy time. The 46th-ranked Gael Monfils defeated Fabian Marozsan (Hungary) in three sets by 2-1 (6:3, 3:6, 6:4) in the first round of the Masters’ tournament in Miami, in which Nick Kyrgios recorded his first singles victory since October 2022.
At 38 years and six months, Gael Monfils is the second oldest player in tennis history to win a match at the tournament in Florida. Former world number one Jimmy Connors won the second round in Miami in 1992, when he was 39 years and six months old.
On Centre Court in Miami, Gael Monfils started strongly, breaking to take a quick 3:0 lead. Except for the fifth game, in which the Frenchman had to save four break points, the rest of the set went smoothly for Monfils, who won 6:3 in less than half an hour.
In the second, it was the Hungarian who broke first to take a 4:2 lead and tie the first set.
A quarter-finalist in Miami in 2016, Gael Monfils again led 3:0 in the decisive set, but this time Fabian Marozsan managed to get back to 4:4. The Frenchman then broke to close out the match after 1 hour and 44 minutes of play.
Following his victory over Fabian Marozsan, who had bested him in their only previous meeting in early 2024, Gael Monfils will face Jiri Lehecka (Czech Republic) in the second round.
