By Chris Oddo | Friday, May 29, 2015
He was down. He was out. He needed a Coca-Cola or a pep talk—preferably both. Then the boisterous Suzanne Lenglen crowd stepped in, and it was all good again.
Gael Monfils rallied from a double-break deficit in the fourth set against Uruguay’s Pablo Cuevas, then powered through a one-sided fifth to claim an improbable and inspiring 4-6, 7-6(1), 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 victory and set up an enticing round of 16 clash with Roger Federer.
More: Federer Flies into French Open Fourth Round for 11th Straight Year
"As I say always, Paris is different, is magic," Monfils said. "So I'm here. I don't know how, but I'm here."
The victory ties a Roland Garros record for five-set victories for the flamboyant Frenchman. He has now won 10 of 13 five-setters, equaling American Harold Solomon’s record.
According to journalist Josh Meiseles, Monfils has now played more five-setters at Roland Garros than anyone else (13):
Monfils fell behind early before rallying to take the second set in a tiebreaker. But Cuevas, who has bidding to become the first player from Uruguay to make the second week of a Slam since 1999, wouldn’t give the Frenchman anything. He claimed the third set, 6-3, and quickly took charge in the fourth before things got crazy.
Monfils’ first break brought the crowd to life, and by the time Cuevas took the balls to serve with a 4-3 lead in set four, he surely couldn’t hear himself think. He would miss an easy volley and double-fault on break point, giving Monfils hope, momentum and the steam he needed.
The Frenchman would take the next two games to claim the set and not stop there:
In the decider, despite breaking to love in the first game, Cuevas struggled to find the mark as Monfils continued his frenzied march to victory. The Frenchman would close, winning 11 of the final 14 games, and break into a wild, well-deserved victory celebration.
Notes, Numbers, Tweets, Quotes
"I think Roger is very comfortable on couple of shots or couple, you know, area that I try to manage to put him out of this comfort zone." Monfils said of his upcoming battle with Federer. "And then also I try to find a rhythm also with Roger that I'm happy with, because Roger always wants to dictate the match the way he wants, the way he make you wait or speed up the match, the way he will select his shot... I really try to change out of him, and sometime Roger get pissed a little bit... When I saw it the most it was in US Open, you know, Roger was very unhappy when the crowd is not behind him. And that will help me a lot, for sure."