Staying power: Gael Monfils passes Richard Gasquet with most Open Era hard court wins for a Frenchman

French tennis star Gael Monfils has achieved yet another milestone in the ongoing Stockholm Open.

The 37-year-old defeated Austria’s Filip Misolic in the round of 16 in straight sets with a score of 6-4, 6-3.

While doing so, Monfils became the French player with the most wins on the hard court. It was his 356th triumph.

He surpassed former world number seven Richard Gasquet who secured 355 wins on the hardcourt.

That victory was an important one for Monfils, especially after going through a rough patch in the recent past.

In his previous outing in the US Open, the Paris-born was knocked out in the second round after losing to Russia’s Andrey Rublev with a score of 6-4, 6-3, 3-6, 6-1.

He is now set to face off against fellow French player Adrian Mannarino in the quarterfinal of the competition on Friday.

It will be the seventh time when both players will face each other on the tennis court. In the previous six meetings, Monfils has a slight edge with four wins compared to Mannarino’s two victories.

Their most recent meeting took place in the second round of the Rolex Paris Masters in November 2021 where Monfils came out on top with a score of 2-6, 7-6, 6-2.