Connect with us

Sports

BUMMER! Top Seed Gael Monfils Stunned by Qualifier Max Purcell at ATP Eastbourne 2021

Tennis star Gael Monfils was in the second round match of the ATP Eastbourne Championships 2021. He was up against Australian player Max Purcell. It was a roller-coaster match and in the end, the Frenchman lost 4-6 7-5 4-6.

Set 1: Gael Monfils fails to come out on top

As the match began, Gael Monfils didn’t get off to the best possible start. Right from the beginning, he was unable to serve according to his usual standards. On the other hand, Max Purcell was being more consistent than his opponent.

The Frenchman barely got an opportunity to trouble the Australian player on his serve. On the contrary, Purcell had three opportunities and finally broke him in the third chance.

Tennis – Australian Open – Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia, February 8, 2021 France’s Gael Monfils after losing his first round match against Finland’s Emil Ruusuvuori REUTERS/Jaimi Joy

In the end, the one break was enough for Max to clinch the set 6-4. During the set, Monfils won 28 points whereas his opponent won 33 points.

Set 2: Gael Monfils somehow finds a way

The second set was played in a similar fashion as the previous one. However, things took an interesting turn when the Australian player was serving for the match at 5-4. The Frenchman broke back to level things up at 5-5.

Riding on the momentum, Monfils consolidated the break and broke again to claim the set 7-5. The last 15 minutes were horrific for the Australian player and the match had to be decided by playing the third set.

Gael Monfils
Tennis – Australian Open – Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia, February 8, 2021 France’s Gael Monfils in action during his first round match against Finland’s Emil Ruusuvuori REUTERS/Jaimi Joy

Set 3: Max Purcell finds inspiration in the final minutes

In the final set, Monfils began serving and held serve after a close battle. Riding on the thrust, he broke Max in the next game and was sitting strong on a 2-0 lead.

Things took an interesting turn when Max found a route and broke the Frenchman twice in consecutive games. The score was 4-3 in the Australian’s favor. In the end, the Purcell served it out and sealed the set 6-4. This result comes as a setback as the Wimbledon Championships 2021 is soon to begin.

Max Purcell will face the winner of the match between Andreas Seppi and Emil Ruusuvuori for a spot in the quarterfinals of the Eastbourne Championships 2021. It will be interesting to see who emerges on top in this duel.

Watch this story: How Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Serena Williams, And Other Tennis Stars’ Travel

Purcell, a lucky loser, was 0-3 down in the 3rd after being 6-4, 5-3 up. https://t.co/ebELtUhhEG

— José Morgado (@josemorgado) June 23, 2021

 

The post BUMMER! Top Seed Gael Monfils Stunned by Qualifier Max Purcell at ATP Eastbourne 2021 appeared first on EssentiallySports.