Monday, March 11, 2019 - Gael Monfils plays Albert Ramos-Vinolas in the 3rd round of the BNP Paribas Open in Stadium 2 at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in Indian Wells, California. (Michael Cummo/BNP Paribas Open)
On Monday afternoon, Gael Monfils faced off against Spaniard Albert Ramos-Vinolas with a spot in the fourth round of the 2019 BNP Paribas Open on the line. Monfils, the No. 19 player in the world, put on a showcase for attendees in Stadium 2 as he easily dismissed Ramos-Vinolas 6-0, 6-3.
Ramos-Vinolas did everything he could to halt Monfils’ momentum, but the Frenchman’s confidence began to build throughout the first set and he never looked back. He saved all three of Ramos-Vinolas’ break point opportunities and served with pinpoint accuracy en route to a 6-0 domination.
While the Spaniard put up a better fight in the second set, he continued to falter against Monfils’ unrelenting attack. Although his serve was broken early, Monfils regained control and continued to pepper Ramos-Vinolas with crisp forehand winners from which Ramos-Vinolas could not recover. The 8-time ATP Tour singles titlist sealed the victory at 6-3 and booked his ticket into the fourth round of the tournament.
While Monfils has outclassed his first two opponents this week, his next opponent will be a massive step up in competition.
Next, Monfils meets the winner of Novak Djokovic vs Philipp Kohlschreiber. If he can continue to display the peak form he’s channeled so far in the desert, he’ll have a strong chance of besting even the world No. 1.