Stockholm [Sweden], October 21 : The 37-year-old Gael Monfils progressed to the semifinals with a 7-5, 7-6(3) triumph against fellow Frenchman Adrian Mannarino at the Stockholm Open.
With a win over Mannarino, the Frenchman became the tournament's oldest semifinalist. Ken Rosewall held the previous record, having reached the semifinals aged 36 in 1970.
The Frenchman dropped the first set of his Stockholm campaign but has now won six in a run following his straight-sets victory over the second-seeded Mannarino. In the quarter-final, breaks were traded midway through each set, until Monfils surged through the finish with a closing burst in each.
"That's great. I know my coach, my wife and even my mom, they will tell you we will back it up next year, no worries!" ATP quoted Monfils as saying.
He won the final four points of a dramatic tie-break that included several winners separated by razor-thin margins.
"I was a little bit lucky at the end. I went for my shots a little bit more. I think the advantage was really close today, but I'm quite happy I won in two sets and I'm happy with the performance," Monfils said.
Monfils will face Laslo Djere or Tomas Machac in the semifinal clash.
Earlier in the day, Pavel Kotov defeated third seed Tallon Griekspoor 7-6(4), 6-2, advancing to the semi-finals against Miomir Kecmanovic. Kecmanovic had a 6-0, 3-2 lead over Elias Ymer before the Swede was forced to withdraw.
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