David Goffin battled past Gael Monfils 6-7 (6-8) 6-3 4-6 7-5 6-3 after 3 hours and 58 minutes after saving four match points in the 10th game of the fourth set. Goffin won the 38th Grand Slam match of his career and reached the fourth round at Roland Garros for the fourth time.
The match featured a total of 39 break points. Goffin broke 11times to Monfils’ 8. Both players traded breaks in the second and third games. Goffin held his serve in the fourth game after saving three break points. Monfils saved two break points in the fifth game. The set went on serve until the tie-break where Monfils edged by 8-6. Goffin went up a double break to open up a 4-0 lead. Monfils pulled one break back in the seventh game for 2-5, when Goffin was serving for the set. Goffin served out for the set at 30 to win the second set 6-3.
Goffin was leading by a break in the first game to take a 3-2 lead in the third set before the match was suspended on Friday. Monfils broke back to draw level to 3-3. Both players traded breaks in the seventh and eighth games to draw level to 4-4. Monfils won the final two games of the third set including a break at love in the 10th game to win the third set 6-4.
Both players traded breaks in the fourth and fifth games of the fourth set. In the 10th game Goffin was on verge of defeat, when Monfils was serving for the match at 5-4 in the fourth set. The Belgian fended off four match points in a very long 10th game to draw level to 5-5 before getting the decisive break in the 11th game at deuce to clinch the fourth set.
After a trade of breaks at the start of the fifth set Goffin got two breaks in the third and seventh games to open up a 5-2 lead. Monfils pulled one of the two breaks back in the eighth game but Goffin sealed the win with his fourth break of the fifth set to book his spot in the fourth round where he will face Italian Marco Cecchinato, who beat Pablo Carreno Busta 2-6 7-6 6-3 6-1.
“During the four match points I was just focused on what I had to do. I just had to control the point and to be aggressive, because I knew if I gave him only one opportunity to take the point, he will take it with his forehand. So I had to be aggressive, and that’s what I did”, said Goffin to atpworldtour.com.
Karen Khachanov beat Lucas Pouille 6-3 7-5 6-3 in another match, which was suspended on Friday, as the Russian player was leading 6-3 7-5 1-1. Khachanov beat Pouille for the second time in his career on French soil after beating the Frenchman in the final of the Open 13 in Marseille.
Khachanov will take on number 2 seed Alexander Zverev, who battled past Damir Dzumhur 6-2 3-6 4-6 7-6 7-5.
“We know each other pretty well from juniors. Zverev is a tough opponent, but we are in the fourth round. Only the best players are still in the tournament, so hopefully it can be a good match”, said Khachanov.
Diego Schwartzman beat this year’s Indian Wells semifinalist Borna Coric 7-5 6-3 6-3. The Argentine got his only break in the 11th game to take the first set 7-5. He broke twice in the first and ninth games to win the second set 6-3. He went up a double break to open up a 4-0 lead to start a streak of four consecutive breaks. Schwartzman dropped his serve in the fifth game, but broke serve for the third time to open up a 5-1 lead. Coric broke for the second time at love for 2-5 but Schwartzman broke at love to seal the third set 6-3 setting up a fourth round against Kevin Anderson, who beat Misha Zverev 6-1 6-7 6-3 7-6.
