Jack Draper's reward for clinching a first-ever French Open victory is a mouthwatering second-round tussle with force of nature Gael Monfils on Thursday, following the veteran's roaring comeback win on Tuesday.
Although both men needed turnarounds in their tournament openers, the Frenchman overcame losing the opening two sets against Hugo Dellien before mounting his thrilling fightback to set up a second ATP Tour matchup with the British No. 1.
Match preview
© Iconsport
Fans inside Court Philippe-Chatrier for the night session on Tuesday got their money's worth as Monfils produced the fifth comeback from two sets down at this year's French Open to defeat Dellien 4-6, 3-6, 6-1, 7-6(4), 6-1 in three hours and 36 minutes.
No sooner had the match started than the 38-year-old crashed into the advertising hoardings, leading to fears rising at the commencement of the encounter, with the home hope considering preserving his health instead of putting his body through untold risk after receiving treatment.
However, the veteran soldiered on and slowly clawed his way back into the match as his energy levels palpably rose, thereby getting the partisan Philippe-Chatrier crowd thrilled for the 13-time ATP champion and one-time semi-finalist in Paris.
By securing victory in five sets, Le Monf claimed his 12th five-set win in his home major — more than anyone else in this era — and improved to 40-16 at the event, moving level with Yannick Noah as the Frenchman to win the most matches at the French Open in the Open Era.
Bidding to be the standalone holder of that feat, Monfils, who hopes to have overcome the physical challenges that plagued him before his first-ever Roland Garros comeback from two sets down, aims to take out another top-10 seed at a major.
© Imago
On the other side of the net on Thursday will be Draper, fresh off his maiden victory at the Paris-based event after previous disappointments against Tomas Martin Etcheverry and Jesper de Jong.
Despite starting slowly against Italian player Mattia Bellucci, the Brit's level rose significantly at the backend of set one and that momentum was carried into sets two three and four as the three-time tour-level champion was third-time lucky in the French capital.
Tuesday's victory means that the 23-year-old has improved to 23-6 for the year, with 10 of those victories coming on clay, where he holds an impressive 10-3 record before his second-round tussle with a home favourite.
Further boosting the British star's confidence before facing Monfils was his broader serving competence throughout the match, despite the occasional lapses as evidenced by racking up seven double faults, landing 68% of first serves in, winning 74% of points on those deliveries and claiming 76% of points on his second deal were standout numbers from an assured comeback on Court Suzanne Lenglen.
Although Thursday's match is likely to be held on Philippe-Chatrier, Draper's standing as one of the tour's consistent performers when he is healthy means he enters the round-two match as the undoubted favourite to advance.
Tournament so far
Gael Monfils:
First round: vs. Hugo Dellien 4-6 3-6 6-1 7-6[4] 6-1
Jack Draper:
First round: vs. Mattia Bellucci 3-6 6-1 6-4 6-2
Head To Head
Canadian Open (2022) - Round of 16: Draper 6-2 0-2 ret
While Draper leads his head-to-head with Monfils, that match at the 2022 Canadian Masters was not completed as the Frenchman retired early in the second set despite being a break up and on course to level the match.
A whole lot has changed for both men since that matchup three years ago, with the London-born Draper now a top-10 player and one of the dark horses for a deep run in Paris if he stays healthy.
The veteran has had little joy against the elite on the tour, claiming two wins from his eight encounters in the last year, though his sole success was a stunning four-set victory over Taylor Fritz in Australia.
We say: Draper to win in four sets
The partisan support in Monfils's favour should give the veteran a boost on Thursday, but much will be contingent on his body's response to the seeming issues that affected him against Dellien.
Despite the one-sided support, Draper is backed to advance in the French Open second-round match in four tight sets, thereby facing Joao Fonseca or Pierre-Hugues Herbert in the third.
