MELBOURNE, Australia — World No. 4 and U.S. Open finalist Taylor Fritz is out of the Australian Open after Gael Monfils continued his vintage run through the tournament. Fritz took the first set 6-3, but from thereafter Monfils took control, prevailing 3-6, 7-5, 7-6(1), 6-4.
It is his first appearance in the second week of a Grand Slam since 2022, also at the Australian Open.
Monfils out-served one of the best on the ATP Tour, hitting 24 aces to Fritz’s 12 and winning 82 percent of his first-serve points to Fritz’s 75. He disrupted Fritz’s rhythm throughout baselines rallies, using changes of direction and shape to force the American to adapt his tempo. Transitioning from the baseline to the net is one of the less secure elements of Fritz’s game, and Monfils used that knowledge to his advantage, breaking the sideline and leaving balls short in the court to get Fritz off the back of the court.
Monfils, 38, also won 28 of the 49 rallies that were nine shots or longer.
Taylor Fritz’s third-round exit is his earliest defeat at a Grand Slam since Wimbledon 2023.
“I felt like I could move great today,” Monfils said on court after his win.
Fritz, who took a medical timeout for an issue with his right foot in the third set, managed to force that set to 6-6 but Monfils took the tiebreak away from him completely, raising to a 6-0 need before closing it out 7-1.
In a match in which the players created just 10 break points and converted three between them, Monfils broke at 4-4 in the fourth set before serving out. He will face another American, No. 21 seed Ben Shelton, or Italian No. 16 seed Lorenzo Musetti in the fourth round.
GO DEEPER
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(Photos: Graham Denholm / Getty Images)
