After staging a dramatic comeback in his opening round, Gael Monfils faced a tough test in round two against No.5 seed Jack Draper at Roland-Garros — and nearly produced another late-night classic.
In a gripping four-set battle lasting three hours and 11 minutes under the lights of Court Philippe-Chatrier, Draper held off the 38-year-old Frenchman, who fought valiantly but fell just short of forcing a fifth set.
The match was a showcase of contrast and resilience. Draper took the first set with authority, but Monfils responded in the second, eventually serving it out on his second opportunity. After Draper regained control in the third, the final set delivered some of the tournament’s most thrilling tennis yet.
Monfils, cheered on by his wife Elina Svitolina and the French crowd, saved 10 break points in his first four service games of the fourth set — two of those games stretched to seven deuces. He built a 5-2 lead and looked set to force a decider, but Draper stormed back, reeling off the final five games of the match.
One key turning point came with Draper trailing 4-5, 0-30 on serve. He saved two set points — one with a rare ace, the other after a 15-shot rally capped by a delicate drop shot — before sealing the set and the match.
After the final point, the two players shared a warm embrace. Draper, making his debut on the iconic court, was quick to pay tribute to Monfils.
“What a battle, what an experience,” Draper said. “Gael is a magician — on and off the court. He gets the best out of you, and that’s what happened tonight. My brain was fried out here. That’s why we play — for matches and atmospheres like this.”
Next Up: Fonseca
There will be little time to recover for Draper, who now faces another rising star in Joao Fonseca. The Brazilian teenager has yet to lose a set in his debut Roland-Garros campaign, following up an upset of No.30 seed Hubert Hurkacz with a straight-sets win over Pierre-Hugues Herbert.
The two have met before — Draper defeated Fonseca at Indian Wells earlier this year. But with Fonseca’s confidence surging and Brazilian fans likely to match the volume of the French crowd, another fierce test awaits the Brit.
Jack Draper (5) def. Gael Monfils 6-3, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5
