There were 4 in the quarter-finals… Of the four French players involved this Thursday in Nice, only half of them managed to make their way to the semi-finals.
If Edouard Roger-Vasselin surprised everyone by dominating the American Sam Querrey, it was a huge disappointment, however, for Gilles Simon and Paul-Henri Mathieu, who ran into two Spanish walls. Gaël Monfils impresses. He delivered a top-quality performance to the Nice crowd against Haase, who had defeated Isner the day before.
Roger-Vasselin on the rise
In the early afternoon and under overwhelming heat, Edouard Roger-Vasselin faced the American Sam Querrey, the tournament’s third seed. A match that seemed unbalanced on paper. A level gap that was indeed felt for nearly a set and a half as the 29-year-old Frenchman was dominated. With courage, he managed to snatch the tiebreak of the second set (7-2) before rolling through the decisive set. Winning 3/6 7/6 6/1, the Frenchman will face the very convincing Spanish player Montanes against PHM.
ERV “continues to progress” and advances in the rankings. By qualifying for the semi-finals for the second time this season after Delray Beach, the Frenchman is assured of holding the 63rd spot in the world rankings next Monday, the best ranking of his career.
PHM, a sense of incompleteness
The beautiful Nice adventure comes to a sudden halt for Paul-Henri Mathieu. The Alsatian, who seemed to have regained form this week, didn’t weigh much against the very experienced Albert Montanes, ranked 82nd in the world. “Paulo,” visibly affected by his battle against Berlocq, didn’t exist in the match. Taken by the throat from the start, the Frenchman eventually gave in. Final score, 6/1 6/4 in a match dominated entirely by the Spaniard.
Andujar stronger than Simon
As feared, Gilles Simon fell into the trap set by Pablo Andujar. A semi-surprise. The player from Nice lost to a real clay-court specialist, a more consistent player than him, at least today. The Spaniard thus continues to build confidence just days away from Roland Garros. Recently a semi-finalist at the Madrid Masters 1000, Andujar confirms his form and takes the scalp of the tournament’s second seed in two solid sets 6/4 7/5. The Frenchman leaves Nice for Paris with some regrets, especially in the second set where he had taken the lead by 4 games to 1.
Monfils reconnects with success
Perhaps the end of a long walk in the desert for Gaël Monfils, who has lost nearly 100 ATP ranking places since his last appearance on the Nice courts.
A tough year marked by knee injuries that kept him away from the courts for several months. During this period, the Frenchman admitted to traveling like a globetrotter, alone, with his backpack to go around the world. Monfils apparently needed to take a breath or rather to distance himself from tennis. A good way to think and ask himself the right questions. Some saw him retiring, but that is not the case. The former world number 7 is gradually getting back on track and continues his winning streak started at the Bordeaux Challenger last week.
Today, against Haase, the 26-year-old seemed to regain all the qualities that made him a full-fledged top 10 member. A full match that is pleasant to see, far from the performances he delivered here in previous years.
A 6/2 6/3 win with style. At the end of the match, Monfils doesn’t show his joy and appears impassive, as if already focused on his semi-final…
Semi-final schedule
Edouard Roger-Vasselin will face Albert Montanes while Gaël Monfils will try to defeat Pablo Andujar.
It’s difficult to venture a prediction for such open and undecided semi-finals.
An explosive program, with hopefully a 100% French final at the Open de Nice Cote-d’Azur. See you from 2:30 p.m.
