Brilliant Jack Draper battles past Gael Monfils in late-night French Open thriller

Jack Draper earned a hard-fought victory in the second round of the French Open, eliminating local favourite Gael Monfils 6-3, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5. The world No. 5 narrowly avoided a fifth set, producing a remarkable comeback in the fourth to secure his spot in the third round.

It was the feature match of the night on Philippe Chatrier, and both players delivered a show worthy of the stage, with the French crowd buzzing at Monfils’ return to action. Draper held firm and reached the third round of Roland Garros for the first time, where he will face rising 18-year-old star Joao Fonseca.

In a match that lasted over three hours, it was the Brit who struck first, earning an early break in the opening set and taking control with a 75% first serve rate, winning 72% of those points. Draper barely gave Monfils any chances on serve and consistently pressured the Frenchman’s delivery. Monfils created a couple of break opportunities at 3-4 but couldn’t convert. Draper responded by securing a second break to close out the set 6-3, hitting 14 winners to Monfils’ 10, while both committed an equal number of unforced errors.

The second set was more balanced, with both players holding serve easily until 2-2. Then Monfils capitalised on his opportunities, grabbing back-to-back breaks and winning four games in a row to surge ahead 5-2.

Although Draper pulled one break back, it wasn’t enough for a comeback. Monfils stayed sharp on serve and closed the set 6-4 in 41 minutes, playing a bit more defensively than Draper but showing better serve efficiency and avoiding long rallies.

The Brit once again took control early in the third, breaking quickly and holding comfortably to go up 3-0. A series of quick exchanges saw both players trade breaks, but it didn’t change the momentum. Draper made no mistake when closing, taking the set 6-3 and regaining the lead.

The fourth set brought some of the best tennis of the night. Monfils showed the resilience that has defined his career, saving four break points in an 18-point opening game and then shocking Draper with a break to go up 4-2. Draper came back strong, but Monfils again held firm in the longest game of the match, saving five break points to reach 5-2.

The Brit No. 1 then broke back and held for 4-5, where Monfils had two set points on Draper’s serve but couldn’t convert. The 23-year-old seized the momentum, reeling off five consecutive games to seal a dramatic 6-3, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 victory and book his place in round three against Joao Fonseca.