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Gael Monfils advances to the second round in Indian Wells.
By ATP Staff
Gael Monfils made a statement Thursday at the BNP Paribas Open, where the Frenchman raced past Max Purcell 6-1, 6-2 to earn his first ATP Masters 1000 win since Cincinnati.
Making his 15th appearance in Indian Wells, the 37-year-old Monfils stayed consistent off both wings and countered Purcell’s net-rushing tactics with passing shots and aggressive returning to keep the Australian behind the baseline. World No. 54 Monfils won 70 per cent of his second serve return points to advance in 70 minutes.
"I thought today I [played] a very good match," Monfils said in his on-court interview. "We had a tough first game, but I held it very good. Felt good, moved good, definitely served good. I stuck to my gameplan and it worked amazing."
Monfils will next have an opportunity to break his 1-1 Lexus ATP Head2Head tie with eighth seed Hubert Hurkacz, who he has not played since 2019.
La Monf rolls on 👏@Gael_Monfils serves up a serious #ShotQuality performance 📈#ShotQuality is calculated in real-time by analysing each shot's speed, spin, depth, width, and the impact it has on the opponent#TennisInsights | @atptour | @BNPPARIBASOPEN pic.twitter.com/4vT8oCIa7g
— Tennis Insights (@tennis_insights) March 8, 2024
Earlier in the day, Czech Tomas Machac moved past 2017 finalist Stan Wawrinka 7-6(3), 4-6, 6-2 after two hours, four minutes to set a second-round meeting against 21st seed Adrian Mannarino.
The 23-year-old Machac struck the ball cleanly and was fearless in changing direction to dispatch the Swiss, who committed 50 unforced errors, 24 of which came from his one-hander. Machac breezed through the final set, collecting the final 10 points to see off Wawrinka and improve to 2-0 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series with the three-time major champion.
Machac, who made the third round of the Australian Open, has collected six tour-level wins this season, two victories away from tying last year’s eight. He is at a career-high No. 59 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings.
Lorenzo Sonego was dominant on serve to defeat Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic 7-6(1), 6-4. The Italian, who will next meet 28th seed Cameron Norrie, won 37 of his 39 first-serve points to earn his place in the second round.
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