The Baseline Player of the Week: Gael Monfils
On Sunday, Gael Monfils sealed a three-set victory against three-time major champion Stan Wawrinka. It was tough to pick a side, as the Frenchman is always entertaining, but it was Wawrinka's first final since undergoing two knee surgeries in 2017.
Ultimately, Monfils proved to be too good, especially during the longer rallies, and came away with a 6-3, 1-6, 6-2 win.
Despite winning the second set, Wawrinka had trouble getting into a rhythm for most of the match. Monfils recognizedĀ the hard work that the Swiss 33-year-old has put in, even thanking him during his victory speech.
The final was the first in Rotterdam between two unseeded players since 2008 when Michael Llodra and Robin Soderling battled it out. For Monfils, the ATP 500 marksĀ his eighth career title and will push him up 10 places in the rankings to No. 23 in the world.
Monfils just withdrew fromĀ Marseille, but is scheduled to play in Dubai next week.
ATP Rio De Janeiro
ā¢ Starting Monday 2/18, at 2:30 pm ET, catch live coverage of the Rio Open featuring Dominic Thiem, Fabio Fognini, and Diego Schwartzman.
WTA Dubai
ā¢ Watch Naomi Osaka, Petra Kvitova, Simona Halep and Karolina Pliskova live from the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships starting Saturday, 2/16 at 3:00 am ET
WTA Budapest
ā¢ Tennis Channel Plus features live coverage of the Hungarian Ladies Open beginning Monday, 2/18 8:00 am ET
ATP Delray Beach
ā¢ Watch Juan Martin del Potro, John Isner and Frances Tiafoe live on Tennis Channel Plus beginning Tuesday, 2/19 at 12:30 am ET.
ATP Marseille
ā¢ See Karen Khachanov, Borna Coric and Stefanos Tsitsipas live on Tennis Channel Plus beginning Monday 2/18, 8:30 am ET