Gael Monfils looked sluggish in the first set. It probably takes a little longer these days for his body to get going. Adolfo Daniel Vallejo did not seem fazed by his more experienced opponent, and he ran away with the first set 6-2. Perhaps he was deceived into believing this was going to be an easy victory. However, we have come to never underestimate Monfils. Maybe he was playing cat and mouse with his opponent as well, the eternal showman.
Embed from Getty ImagesGael Monfils Turned Up His Game
The next three sets were reminiscent of Gael Monfils at his best. He did not play like a guy who was forty years old and his fans loved every moment of his comeback. Gael won the second set and never looked back. Vallejo was probably thinking where did this guy come from. Nevertheless, there was not much the Paraguayan could do to derail Monfils. The Frenchman won 2-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-0. Next up for Monfils will be [14] Learner Tien. This should be interesting. In their only recent encounter, the American won in three sets (note that Tien dropped the second set at love).
Embed from Getty ImagesGauff Amongst Day Three American Successes
[4] Coco Gauff defeated Zeynep Sonmez 6-3, 6-4. [9] Taylor Fritz made easy work of fellow American, Darwin Blanch. The eighteen-year-old held his own but really was never a threat to Fritz. Taylor Fritz won 6-3, 6-2, 6-4. [22] Madison Keys defeated Alina Korneeva 7-5, 6-4. While it was a straight sets victory, Keys did not play her best and will need to elevate her game if she wants to go deep in the draw.
Other US Open Tennis News
Thanasi Kokkinakis pulled out of his scheduled match against Rafael Jodar. Thus, the Spaniard will face the lucky loser, Yunchaokete Bu, on Wednesday. Keep an eye on Taylor Townsend, she plays Taylah Preston on Wednesday. [8] Ben Shelton will have a tough match on his hands. He faces a former top ten player, Hubert Hurkacz, who brings a big serve and forehand. Okay I got to tell you I like Hurkacz despite being an American, because he likes two things that I like. Nevertheless, I will be rooting for Shelton. Who will win this first encounter?
[12] Belinda Bencic ran into a determined Yulia Putintseva. Putintseva fought for this 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 victory. Bencic was the only seed to fall on day three. Two top ten seeds almost lost their way. [1] Alexander Zverev narrowly escaped his encounter with Lorenzo Sonego. It took a lot more out of the German than he wanted, lasting almost five hours. Of note, the German has never lost to Sonego. [5] Flavio Cobolli won his first set match after losing the first two sets. He defeated Francisco Comesana.
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