We remember the Danish footballers, last-minute invitees to Euro 1992 and winners of that edition. Albert Montanes found himself in a similar position, being invited to the Open Nice Côte d’Azur following Thomas Berdych’s withdrawal. A remarkable journey and an undeniable victory against Gaël Monfils crown the Spaniard during this week in Nice.
Gaël Monfils showed some very impressive performances during the week, and it was expected that he would prevail over an opponent whose game, and particularly his serves, he admitted he did not really appreciate. This quickly proved true, with a first service won not without difficulty by the Spaniard, who immediately breaks on Monfils’s serve. The games follow each other in a similar pattern for the Frenchman, who struggles to elevate his level of play to counter the Spaniard’s style. It is ultimately the rain that brings an end to the match with a score of 4-0 for Montanes and 40-all on Montanes’s serve.
With the weather calmed, play can resume at 3:45 pm, and the Spaniard continues his forward march, winning his service game and taking the set with a new break (6-0). The score was harsh but fairly logical. In the second set, the game became more balanced, and Gaël Monfils’s shots more often found their target, allowing him to come back from 4-1 to 4-4 as Albert Montanes experienced a slight drop in performance. The two players thus find themselves at 6 games apiece, leading to a tie-break, the final chance for the Frenchman to push for a decisive third set.
But it is Albert Montanes who dominates the tie-break, eventually securing victory at 6/3. After Roger-Vasselin and Mathieu, Montanes adds a third Frenchman to his list of opponents defeated in a tournament where he now inscribes his name in the record books.
