ATP Challenger Phoenix: Gael Monfils fails at the start
At the heavily occupied ATP Challenger tournament in Phoenix, comebacker Gael Monfils had to give up in round one. On the other hand, tournament favorite Matteo Berrettini is one round ahead.
by Jens Huiber
last edit:
Mar 17, 2023, 08:26 am
Yes, Gael Monfils also made the trip from Indian Wells to Phoenix. And why not? The French veteran needs matches after his long injury break, so a very well-manned challenger is also an option. It was of course a coincidence that Monfils met a man there who, like himself, was looked after by Günter Bresnik. It's no big surprise that Alexander Shevchenko won the match that was broken off on Wednesday in three sets against Monfils on Thursday. After all, it was only the second game for Gel Monfils after a break of more than six months.
He continues in Miami, where Monfils will meet an unseeded player in round one, just like in Indian Wells. The defeat against Jordan Thompson there was also put into perspective by the fact that the Australian was able to win against Stefanos Tsitsipas in the next match.
Berrettini wins, Schwartzman loses
But back to Phoenix: Monfils is not the only celebrity who had to pack his rackets early on. Diego Schwartzman's misery continued in Arizona, he lost to Portuguese Nuno Borges. Jiri Lehecka, the highly gifted Czech, also lost out to Thanasi Kokkinakis. Kokkinakis plays in round two against Jan-Lennard Struff, the only German in the tableau.
There is the name of Matteo Berrettini at the top. The Italian started against compatriot Mattia Belucci with a 6: 4 and 6: 4 according to his status. Now it's against Aleksandar Vukic, who had played his way into the main draw through qualification.