Monfils breaks through Lajovic resistance into Miami second round

Gael Monfils did not face a break point in his opening win at the Miami Open presented by Itau, but the Frenchman still needed to be at his best in the clutch moments on Thursday night against Dusan Lajovic.

In a 7-6(5), 6-4 victory, Monfils scored his first break of the match in his final return game before serving out the victory to love. In a clean performance, he hit 25 winners and 10 errors over the course of one hour, 32 minutes on the stadium court at the ATP Masters 1000.

"I knew Dusan from the back would be tough to move. He's such a good hitter from both wings, so my serve had to be really good today to have free points, not to get too long in the rallies," said Monfils, who hit 11 aces, according to Infosys ATP Stats. "And then from the back, I tried to put as many balls in as I could, tried to play with him."

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Monfils improved to 3-0 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head against Lajovic, with all three wins coming in straight sets. He will next meet 33rd seed Jordan Thompson, with top seed Carlos Alcaraz a potential third-round opponent. Indian Wells champion Alcaraz will meet Roberto Carballes Baena in his opening match as he bids to complete the Sunshine Double.

The 37-year-old Monfils is making his 12th appearance in Miami, having debuted in 2005. His Thursday win was his first at the event since 2022. 

The fan favourite turned back the clock at times against Lajovic, sprinkling plenty of Monfils magic to go with his dominant serving performance. When he was not on the attack, Monfils was dazzling in defence, showcasing his elastic skills to repel his opponent's aggressive baseline cuts.

"I've been just lucky. Just a little bit better than him today," he said. "But it's always tough. He's a good friend of mine, we've been practising quite a lot together and it's always very close matches. Tonight I had a little bit more luck, but it could have been easily his match."

#NextGenATP Spaniard Martin Landaluce also advanced on Thursday night, earning a 6-3, 1-6, 7-5 win against countryman Jaume Munar. The 18-year-old wild card earned his first tour-level win in what was his first ATP Tour match of 2024. Having entered Miami at No. 360 in the PIF ATP Rankings, his win set him up for a new career high.

In a battle of qualifiers, Roberto Bautista Agut was a 6-3, 7-6(4) winner against American Emilio Nava. Like Monfils, Bautista Agut is making his 12th Miami appearance. A semi-finalist in 2021, his victory improved him to 15-11 at the event.

Alexei Popyrin also earned an evening win with a 6-2, 6-2 result against Facundo Diaz Acosta. Closing the night's ATP Tour play with finishes in quick succession, Roman Safiullin beat Diego Schwartzman 6-2, 6-4 and Alexander Shevchenko won a marathon match against Daniel Elahi Galan, 6-7(4), 7-6(4), 7-5, after nearly three hours.