ATP Stockholm, Sweden

Gael Monfils reaches an ATP final for 19th successive season in Stockholm

The Frenchman eased past Laslo Djere, 7-5, 6-2, and will meet qualifier Pavel Kotov for the title Sunday.

Published Oct 21, 2023

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Go on, Gael Monfils!

On Saturday, the Frenchman impressively reached an ATP final for the 19th consecutive year by virtue of his 7-5, 6-2 victory over Laslo Djere in Stockholm’s BNP Paribas Nordic Open semifinals.

After dropping his opening set of the tournament, Monfils has since taken eight straight. Against Djere, the 37-year-old built double-break leads in both sets. Having complicated matters in the opening set before regrouping, Monfils ensured the same scenario didn’t play out in pulling away from Djere. Monfils claimed 53 percent of his return points during the 77-minute encounter.

Earlier this week, Monfils surpassed Richard Gasquet for the most hard-court wins by a Frenchman in the Open Era.

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Monfils is aiming to lift his 12th career trophy, with his most recent triumph coming in Adelaide at the start of last season. His final streak began in 2005, when as an 18-year-old, he captured his maiden title in Sopot:

2005: Won: Sopot, Finalist: Metz, Lyon
2006: Finalist: Doha
2007: Finalist: Portschach
2008: Finalist: Vienna
2009: Won: Metz; Finalist: Acapulco, Paris-Bercy
2010: Won: Montpellier; Finalist: Stuttgart, Tokyo, Paris-Bercy
2011: Won: Stockholm; Finalist: Washington, D.C.
2012: Finalist: Doha, Montpellier
2013: Finalist: Nice, Winston-Salem
2014: Won: Montpellier; Finalist: Doha
2015: Finalist: Marseille
2016: Won: Washington, D.C.; Finalist: Rotterdam, Montreal
2017: Finalist: Eastbourne
2018: Won: Doha; Finalist: Antwerp
2019: Won: Rotterdam
2020: Won: Montpellier, Rotterdam
2021: Finalist: Sofia
2022: Won: Adelaide
2023: Into Final: Stockholm

With his run to the title match, Monfils is on the verge of a Top 100 return. A win over first-time ATP finalist Pavel Kotov Sunday would clinch his place in the elite group.

Kotov, a qualifier, defeated Miomir Kecmanovic, 6-3, 6-4, saving both break points he faced in the contest.

The 24-year-old ousted seventh seed Chris Eubanks in a decisive tiebreaker to win his main-draw opener and followed that effort up with straight-set victories over Lorenzo Sonego and third seed Tallon Griekspoor.

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