TENNIS Live

Australian Open - 3rd Round - Men

Nationality Player Set 1 Set 2 Set 3 Set 4 Set 5
FranceG Monfils667--
SpainN Almagro435--

Nicolas Almagro

Nationality ESP
Date of Birth 21/08/1985
Height 1.82 m
Weight 82 kg

Gaël Monfils

Nationality FRA
Date of Birth 01/09/1986
Height 1.93 m
Weight 80 kg
 

Live Comments

  1. 7-5 - MATCH MONFILS. The umpire chat clearly affects Almagro as he loses the game to 15. He went 0-40 down and saved the first match point but then Monfils wins the match with a sweet lob to clinch the match in straight sets. He will face Gilles Simon or Mario Ancic next.

  2. 6-5 - Almagro is furious with the umpire after the first point of the game as he is not allowed challenge the call because the umpire said he received prompting from his coach. Almagro is now chatting with an official and everybody is just waiting for the match to resume. Finally we are back underway - 0-15.

  3. 6-5 - Great sportsmanship by Monfils as he overrules a line-judge who called an Almagro shot out. That saved Almagro a challenge and also put him 15-30 in front. Monfils ends up having to survive a very tough game though with Almagro earning a break point thanks to a superb cross court winner. Again though Monfils's serve gets him out of trouble and maybe a bit of good karma also helped him seal the game.

  4. 5-5 - It looks ominous for Alamagro as he goes 0-30 down but he fights back well to take four points in a row finishing the game off at the net.

  5. 5-4 - Almagro grabs an early 0-15 lead but then Monfils wins four points in a row set up by a gem of a drop shot to level it at 15-15. Almagro must now serve to stay in the match.

  6. 4-4 - Almagro just about holds with an overhead that only just dropped in to hold to 30. He is playing in quite a relaxed fashion now. I think he feels he has nothing to lose.

  7. 4-3 - Another backhand winner gives Almagro a chance at 30-30 but then a Monfils ace is followed by a winner that just clips the line to give Monfils another hold.

  8. 3-3 - Good hold to 15 from Almagro which will help keep his spirts up. A backhand down the line was the highlight of the game and that shot has served him well so far.

  9. 3-2 - Monfils manages to save break points in a big game. You feel that might be Almagro's last chance. A little bit sloppy and unnecessarily flashy in that game by Monfils but he focused the mind on the big points to save.

  10. 2-2 - Almagro dominates a great rally to clinch a hold to 30. He pushed Monfils around the court before the Frenchman was forced to go long.

  11. 2-1 - Monfils is racing through his service games with ease now - another quick hold to 15 as Almagro struggles to get rallies going.

  12. 1-1 - Even when losing points Monfils can still impress - a delightful drop from Almagro is nearly chased down by the Frenchman but he can only dig it out to the net. Almagro holds but Monfils remains in charge.

  13. 1-0 - Almagro hits one nice winner but other then that it is all Monfils as he secures another solid service game to 15 to start up the third set.

  14. 6-3 - Monfils BREAKS to take the second set. Simply stunning defensive play throughout by the Frenchman - he produced two unbelievable winners in that game from positions where he had no right to even get to the ball. Almagro goes long on set point and Monfils now has complete control of this contest.

  15. 5-3 - Monfils remains untroubled on his own serve - he manages to hold again to 15 and is now just one game away from a two set advantage.

  16. 4-3 - Great winner from Monfils makes it 15-15 but Almagro dominates the rest of the game to hold to 15.

  17. 4-2 - Almagro fires a tame forehand into the net as Monfils holds again to 30 and then shurgs as if to say "what is going wrong here?"

  18. 3-2 - Almagro undoes all his good work by being broken straight back to 15. Just very inconsistent with his groundstrokes and Monfils manages to break without having to do much.

  19. 2-2 - Almagro breaks back. Sloppy stuff from Monfiles give the Spanish man a break point and he wins it with an easy pass after Monfils was left exposed at the net.

  20. 2-1 - Alamagro stops a little rot with a quickfire hold to love which might see him find his way back into this match.

  21. 2-0 - Almagro can't seem to make any inroads in the Monfils serve and the Frenchman holds again without too much fuss.

  22. 1-0 - Monfils with a break to 30. He was always on top in the game after going 0-30 up. Almagro fought back to 30-30 but then Monfils earned a break point and won the game with a lovely backhanded winner into the corner of the court.

  23. 6-4 - Monfils takes the first set. Almagro gave himself a chance at 30-30 but then two unreturnable serves in a row wraps up the set for the Frenchman.

  24. 5-4 - Monfils gets a few chances to clinch the set against the serve but Almagro digs out the game and makes Monfils serve it out.

  25. 5-3 - Quick hold to 15 from Monfils puts him one game away from the opening set.

  26. 4-3 - Good challenge from Almagro sees him hold to 30 - his forehand down the line had been called out but Hawkeye showed it to be just in. Monfils is making him work though on his own serve now. The Frenchman looks a little bit more powerful out there even if Almagro has the slicker shots.

  27. 4-2 - Monfils takes control of the set with a hold to 30. Almagro sees his chance go as a drop shot drops just short on 40-30.

  28. 3-2 - Monfils breaks as Almagro gets a little sloppy. The Spaniard had done well to bosses a couple of rallies that allowed him to comeback from 15-40 down and if he then had a game point but he tired to push a few too many shots and it was his errors rather than winners from Monfils that ultimately cost him the game.

  29. 2-2 - Three big serves in a row - finishing with an ace - sees Monfils survive a break point. Almagro will be encouraged though he was getting some good depth on his shots when the rallies developed.

  30. 1-2 - Almagro now with a hold to love as the servers remain on top. The Spaniard had never previously been beyond the first round here until this year. Monfils meanwhile has made the third round for only the second time. He was knocked out at this stage in 2007.

  31. 1-1 - Easy hold to love for Monfils to opening things up on his own serve. Almagro just couldn't get the ball in play.

  32. 0-1 - A couple of big serves helps Almagro to hold to 15. Two long rallies developed in the game with each player winning one apiece - expect a lot of action behind the baseline from these two players who grew up on clay.

  33. 0-0 - Away we go - Almagro to serve first in this opening set.

  34. - - Players on court now warming up on another sunny day in Melbourne.

  35. - - This is a match between 12th seed and the 17th seed with both players have moved up the rankings well last year. They have played twice before with both players winning one each - Monfils won the last meeting at last year's Olympics in a three set thriller - this could be a long one.

  36. - - Hi there; welcome to our coverage of young French buck Gael Monfils's match against Nicky Almagro. Should be a cracker.