Gael Monfils of France celebrates his victory against Joao Sousa of Portugal in the Rotterdam Open. (Getty Images)
Defending champion Gael Monfils eased into the Rotterdam Open Round of 16 following a comfortable 6-3, 6-2 win against Portuguese Joao Sousa.
World No.9 Monfils is just fresh from his record-tying third title run at the Open Sun de France in Montpellier last week and has now claimed his ninth win in 11 matches after dispatching Sousa in just 70 minutes.
Monfils will next face fellow countryman Gilles Simons, who pushed past Kazakhstan player Mikhail Kukushkin 7-6, 3-6, 6-3 in the Round of 32 (h/t ATP):
“It is never easy to adapt yourself to new conditions, so I was very pleased with my performance today,” said Monfils. “Moving well was the key for me… I am very happy.”
A crowd entertainer, the 33-year-old Frenchman, will be aiming to become the first player to win back-to-back Rotterdam titles since Sweden’s Robin Soderling in 2011 if everything goes according to plan.
“It’s never easy to come back after a win,” Monfils said. “But I have great memories from last year”.
Meanwhile, World No.57 Gilles Simons has a 7-2 ATP head-to-head advantage over his compatriot and tournament third seed Gael Monfils.
Last time both the players met Simons emerged the winner as he beat Monfils in a final-set tie-break to bag the 2015 Open 13 Provence trophy in Marseille.
“It is tough. Gilles knows me quite well,” said Monfils. “He is a very tricky player. It is tough to play against him. He is one of my best friends on the Tour… It is always a big challenge for me to beat him.”
The winner of Monfils-Simon’s encounter, on the other hand, will set up a quarterfinal clash against Britain’s Daniel Evans, who registered a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 comeback victory over Russian Karen Khachanov in the Round of 16.
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