Monfils Thrills at Masters Series Paris

Posted on November 2, 2004

<a href='http://www.tennis-x.com/playernews/Paradorn-Srichaphan.php' id=namelink>Paradorn Srichaphan</a> wears a big hat in Paris (ATP)

Gael Monfils is the junior version of Roger Federer, this year in the junior ranks winning three of the four slams, then a couple weeks back at the ATP stop in Metz, proceeding to the quarterfinals in his tour-level debut.

Monday at the Masters Series-Paris in his second pro appearance the French teen qualifier continued to live up to expectations, after a slow start with a bout of nerves, outlasting Swedish veteran (LL) Thomas Enqvist 1-6, 6-4, 6-3 to advance into the second round.

"I was tense at the beginning but afterwards I managed to calm down and to finish well," the 18-year-old Monfils said. "He's a former winner here so it's a great win but I managed to be a little stronger than him."

The Frenchman's win lifted some of the gloom Monday at the MS-Paris after the injury withdrawals of Andre Agassi and David Nalbandian, eliminating both from qualifying for the year-end Masters Cup.

Monfil's reward for his victory is a Tuesday-night meeting with former No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt, who afterwards will face the media for the first time since getting phone-dumped by former fiance Kim Clijsters.

Also into the second round in an all-unseeded day of play were Swede Robin Soderling (d. Dent), American Mardy "Silver" Fish (d. Ferrer), Paradorn "The Thai Fighter" Srichiphan (d. Zabaleta), French homeboy (WC) Cyril Saulnier (d. Luis "Me So" Horna in two breakers), Belgians (Q) Christophe "The Roach" Rochus (d. Volandri who retired in the third with an ab strain) and (LL) Xavier "X-Man" Malisse (d. (WC) Mathieu), (Q) Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (d. Mario "Baby Goran" Ancic in three), (Q) Max "The Beast" Mirnyi (d. Arazi with a bagel in the second), and Austria's Jurgen "Tuna" Melzer (d. Chela).

On court Tuesday are Feliciano "F-Lo" Lopez vs. Rainer "Shine" Schuettler, (Q) Stepanek vs. Llodra, Ljubicic vs. (WC) Clement, (LL) X-Man vs. (18) Haas, (Q) Monfils vs. (2) Hewitt, (3) Henman vs. The Thai Fighter, Davydenko vs. Fernando "Hot Sauce" Verdasco, Soderling vs. (LL) Sanguinetti, Fish vs. (11) Pavel, Bjorkman vs. Youzhny, and T.Johansson vs. Sargsian.