In honor of International Tennis Day, New York City hosted the BNP Paribas Showdown. Stan Wawrinka, Gael Monfils, Serena Williams, and Caroline Wozniacki were in action in the one-night grand, tennis exhibition. Stan Wawrinka and Gael Monfils kicked off the spectacular night in an entertaining match-up. With a fully packed Madison Square Garden, the crowd was deemed to play a role in the match considering Monfils is an experienced entertainer on the tennis court.
Experience Of A Lifetime
Although the atmosphere was great, the conditions were not as official as a regular tour event which makes perfect sense being that it is an exhibition. The court was rather slow for being an indoor hard court but it made for fairly interesting points. Players found themselves in disbelief at a few lines calls and playfully joked over the matter. The best part of the exhibition routine was mid-match interviews that gave the fans an insight on how the players were feeling during the match.
Starting On Serve
The first three games were rather comfortable holds and the Swiss number 2 took a 2-1 lead. Stan Wawrinka was then interviewed on the changeover. “I am really happy to be here tonight,” he told Mary Joe Fernandez. He explained how he needed to stay focused against Monfils because of the Frenchman’s game style. Wawrinka also spoke about how he hoped to do better at Indian Wells and Miami this year, especially with his confidence after a recent win in Dubai. The next four games were holds of serves, as well. That meant the first seven games had passed without a break happening.
Monfils continued his recent pattern to move to the net more often. Signs of great touch came from the Paris, France native’s racquet. But the world number 4, Wawrinka, had his always in-form one-handed backhand to match Monfils’ speed and finesse which extended the Swiss’ lead up a break to 5-3. Intensity started to build up more, as well as racquet head speed from both players. Stan Wawrinka looked as if he had the set wrapped up but the momentum shifted when everything seemed to be going his way.
The Trail To A Comeback
Monfils suddenly was more offensive then defensive and tried to dictate the rallies more. Despite Stan Wawrinka displaying his power from both his forehand and backhand, errors seeped into his game during the important points. Monfils saved two set points and eventually broke the Swiss. Serving to stay in the set, Gael Monfils cleaned up his footwork and took the game. The set was tied at 5-5 and a playful point gave the 11th game to the world number four. The world number 16, Gael Monfils, served to stay in the set once again. Rightfully so, a hold from the Frenchman’s racquet sent the set to a tiebreak.
The tiebreaker started out in Wawrinka’s favor. He went up 4-2, with 3 of those points being winners. He had seemed to find his game again after giving himself an opportunity for the set after Monfils hit an overhead with his head as if he was playing soccer. The Yonex ambassador failed to close out the set and the lower-ranked Monfils took the set 7-6(6). A 52 minute set marked the first time the France native won a tiebreak against his close friend.
Monfils Continues Rhythm
There was no stopping 2008 French Open Semifinalists in the second set. In his first service game, he closed out four straight points at the net. The next four games were holds. Then, the two men headlining the first match-up were interrupted by Serena and Wozniacki. Two friendly, but still competitive, games of mixed doubles were played. The ladies took no time to take charge of the court. Serena jokingly told Wawrinka, “Venus would’ve gotten to that,” after a miscommunication which caused laughter from the crowd. The mixed doubles play went in the favor of Gael Monfils and Caroline Wozniacki and Monfils’ lead was extended to 5-2.
Wawrinka holds comfortably held but ultimately in the end Monfils prevailed 7-6(6), 6-3 in an hour and 24 minutes. Both players maintained a smile throughout the night and were gracious towards having the opportunity to play in Madison Square Garden. Stan Wawrinka said, “It is a pleasure to play here.” Gael Monfils described it as a dream. In conclusion, this match was full of humbled professionals and exciting tennis with an interesting variety of shot selection. The players would catch a late flight to the desert to play in the BNP Paribas Open this week.
