Monfils ends title drought with Citi Open win

Tuesday, 26 July 2016 00:05 -     - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

MF-03

Gael Monfils of France gestures after winning a point against Ivo Karlovic of Croatia in the men’s singles final of the Citi Open at Rock Creek Park Tennis Center – Reuters

REUTERS: Gael Monfils ended a 2 1/2-year title drought by overcoming Ivo Karlovic 5-7 7-6(6) 6-4 in the final of the Citi Open in Washington, D.C on Sunday.

The win was Monfils’ first victory since February 2014 in Montpellier, France, and came at a place where two of the players he looked up to – Yannick Noah and Arthur Ashe – had won before him. “I grew up with those names,” Monfils told reporters. “Definitely to have my name next to them, it’s priceless. It meant a lot for me. I’m very happy, very proud.”



Karlovic, a winner last week at the Hall of Fame Tennis Championships in Newport, Rhode Island, came close to becoming the oldest man to win back-to-back ATP singles tournaments since 43-year-old Ken Rosewall in 1973. Karlovic was serving for the match while leading 5-4 in the second set but Monfils broke and prevailed in the tie-break. The break was the first time Karlovic failed to hold serve on 54 occasions in the tournament. “I was serving for the match. If it was normal match, I would win it right there,” Karlovic said. “My service stopped at that moment. It happens, I guess. I’m not used to that. But it happens.

“I was going to win, and then I lost my serve. That is tennis.” Monfils added another service break early in the third set to take the momentum and pushed on for the win.

Discover Kapruka, the leading online shopping platform in Sri Lanka, where you can conveniently send Gifts and Flowers to your loved ones for any event including Valentine ’s Day. Explore a wide range of popular Shopping Categories on Kapruka, including Toys, Groceries, Electronics, Birthday Cakes, Fruits, Chocolates, Flower Bouquets, Clothing, Watches, Lingerie, Gift Sets and Jewellery. Also if you’re interested in selling with Kapruka, Partner Central by Kapruka is the best solution to start with. Moreover, through Kapruka Global Shop, you can also enjoy the convenience of purchasing products from renowned platforms like Amazon and eBay and have them delivered to Sri Lanka.

COMMENTS

Discover Kapruka, the leading online shopping platform in Sri Lanka, where you can conveniently send Gifts and Flowers to your loved ones for any event including Valentine ’s Day. Explore a wide range of popular Shopping Categories on Kapruka, including Toys, Groceries, Electronics, Birthday Cakes, Fruits, Chocolates, Flower Bouquets, Clothing, Watches, Lingerie, Gift Sets and Jewellery. Also if you’re interested in selling with Kapruka, Partner Central by Kapruka is the best solution to start with. Moreover, through Kapruka Global Shop, you can also enjoy the convenience of purchasing products from renowned platforms like Amazon and eBay and have them delivered to Sri Lanka.