Upstaging Gael Monfils in Paris is about as easy as out-soaring Cirque du Soleil performers on stage.
A dynamic Dominic Thiem delivered the dazzle—and the best shot of Roland Garros—with this mind-blowing tweener vs. Monfils that brought French fans to their feet and elicited applause from Monfils.
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Watch Monfils slide so far off the court he accidentally bumps into Thiem's Babolat racquet bag before bunting back a ball that looked beyond Thiem's range.
The acrobatic Austrian not only reaches the ball he tomahawked this tremendous tweener reply.
The shot sparked Thiem to a 6-4, 6-4, 6-2, sweep of Monfils that sent him into his fourth consecutive Roland Garros quarterfinal.
"It was an amazing shot," Thiem said. "It was really amazing, of course, because it was the only choice I had. I was so far off the ball and couldn't play it any different way. And if that ball goes in it's always a big highlight. And I'm happy I have my first tweener of the year, I guess."
The 2018 Roland Garros runner-up will play either eighth-seeded Juan Martin del Potro or 10th-seeded Karen Khachanov for a semifinal spot.