Gael Monfils edged past 19-year-old Nishesh Basaraveddy 7-6 (7-5) 6-4 after 1 hour and 45 minutes to reach the final at the ASB Classic in Auckland.
Both players went on serve without break points en route to the tie-break. After a trade of mini-breaks in the first two points of the tie-breaks, Basaraveddy went up a 3-1 lead, but Monfils pulled back on serve to draw level to 3-3. Basaraveddy earned another mini-break to take a 5-4 lead, but Monfils won three points to clinch the tie-break 7-5.
Monfils converted his only break point of the match in the ninth game to close out the second set 6-4.
Monfils became the second oldest player to reach an ATP Tour final since 1990.
Monfils leads 2-0 in his head-to-head matches against Basaraveddy after beating his US rival 6-4 4-6 6-1 in the round of 32 in Brisbane.
Basaraveddy came through the qualifying round to reach his first ATP Tour semifinal. The 19-year-old player has moved to world number 106 in the ATP Ranking.
When Monfils Jan-Lennard Struff to reach the quarter finals, he became the oldest player in the professional era to reach the quarter final.
“I am very happy. This kid has a bright future. He is playing really well. He moved great, defended well, He pushed me to the limit. I knew it would be tough and it was tough and I am pleased to have won in straight sets”, said Monfils.
Monfils saved all five break points he faced and won 8 of the final 10 points to reach the 35th tour-level of his career and the first since he won in Stockolm in 2023. The French veteran is aiming to win his 13th title on Saturday when he faces Belgian Zizou Bergs, who overcame Portugal’s seventh seed Nuno Borges 6-2 3-6 7-5.
Bergs broke twice in the third and fifth games to win the first set 6-2. The Belgian player went up a break in the first game of the second set to take a 2-0 lead. Borges won six of the next seven games with two breaks to claim the second set 6-3.
Both players traded breaks in the sixth and seventh games of the third set. Borges broke serve in the ninh game and served for the match at 5-4 and was two points from the win and was two points from the win, but Bergs broke back to draw level to 5-5 before winning the final two games to seal the third set 7-5.
“It was a difficult match with a lot of momentum shifts. I had a chance to go a double break up in the second set and he is a great fighter and I lost of my intensity. I then managed to get it back a bit and he was making it really hard with his backhand in the third set. I made the right choices at the end Whenever I was down, I manage to find something”, said Bergs.
