Monfils Stumbles in Auckland Opener Amid Farewell Tour
Gael Monfils kicks off his final season with a straight-sets loss at the ASB Classic, testing his resolve on familiar hard courts just as the Australian Open looms.
In the warm Auckland evening, Gael Monfils stepped onto the court as defending champion, his 2025 title here still fresh in the air. The 39-year-old Frenchman, returning after a three-month break, faced Fabian Marozsan in what he has called his farewell season, three days after his wife Elina Svitolina lifted her 19th WTA trophy on the same surface. The match unfolded with Monfils’s trademark flair, but ended in a 5-7, 6-3, 6-4 defeat that sharpened questions about his form heading into Melbourne.
Monfils grabbed the first set with a break in the 11th game, firing 10 aces to control the points. He mixed a 1–2 pattern of flat serves wide and heavy topspin forehands crosscourt, forcing Marozsan into defensive returns on the medium-paced hard courts. The crowd, warmed by Svitolina’s recent win, sensed the veteran’s rhythm building early.
“it’s always special to play against Gael. He’s a legend and a great player,” Marozsan said.
First set grip slips away
Monfils held strong initially, his athleticism shining in leaping overheads that echoed through the stadium. He varied power with inside-out backhands that hugged the sideline, keeping the 26-year-old Hungarian off balance. Yet as the set turned, Marozsan’s flat groundstrokes found depth, testing Monfils’s movement on the grippy surface.
The second set shifted when Marozsan broke Monfils’s first service game, volleying two winners at the net to seize momentum. Monfils’s crosscourt backhands began to err, slicing short under pressure as the younger player steadied with consistent inside-in forehands. The loss of rhythm exposed the physical toll of Monfils’s layoff, his steps a touch slower on the true bounce.
Decider demands veteran fire
In the third set, Monfils dropped serve in the fifth game but broke back right away, unleashing down-the-line winners to level at 3-3. He dipped into underspin slices that skidded low, drawing Marozsan forward into tense net exchanges where the Frenchman’s passing shots clipped the lines. The fight captured Monfils’s enduring spark, his smile flashing amid the strain of a body marked by years on tour.
Marozsan held firm, snagging the crucial break at 5-4 with a sharp crosscourt forehand off a second serve. The match clocked exactly two hours, leaving Monfils to reflect on a opener that blended defiance with doubt. As he eyes the Australian Open, this tune-up loss underscores the need for tactical tweaks, like deeper returns and varied spin to counter rising challengers on similar Plexicushion courts.
Monfils had bantered with Svitolina before her final, telling her to win or face his teasing—a light moment for a couple who once held ATP and WTA titles from the same event. Now, her success nearby fuels his path, turning Auckland’s setback into motivation for Melbourne’s five-set demands. The farewell arc gains edge, with every rally a nod to longevity against youth’s surge.