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Gael Monfils stunned World No. 1 Daniil Medvedev 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 to move into the round of 16 at Indian Wells. The shock defeat means Medvedev will lose the No. 1 ranking to Novak Djokovic on Monday.
Medvedev is inarguably one of the best players on hardcourt at the moment, but Monfils was able to find cracks in his armor. Here's a look at three things that stood out in Monday's match.
#1 Gael Monfils overpressed in the first set
Both players served well at the start of the match, holding for the first eight games. Medvedev found his rhythm quickly and committed very few mistakes. Monfils tried to force the issue from the baseline and ended up committing a lot of unforced errors.
The Frenchman made 20 errors in the first set, 14 coming off his forehand. Medvedev took full advantage and fed the Monfils forehand, which broke down as the set progressed.
#2 Monfils raised his level in the second set
Monfils was not deterred by the loss of the first set and came back strongly in the second.
The Frenchman changed his strategy and started playing more backhand slices to take the pace off the ball. He also rushed to the net more often to put pressure on the Russian.
Monfils struck a wonderful backhand volley to break Medvedev in the fourth game of the second set to lead 3-1. However, Medvedev broke back immediately, capitalizing on a double fault from Monfils.
But the Frenchman did not lose his head and stayed aggressive from the back of the court, breaking Medvedev again to take the second set.
#3 Medvedev appeared to struggle physically
By the start of the third set, Medvedev looked tired and struggled to hold his own in the longer rallies. His first-serve percentage also dropped and Monfils broke him twice to take a 4-0 lead in the final set.
Medvedev tried to make a comeback and saved five match points, but the Frenchman would not be denied, sealing his second win against the World No. 1.
Medvedev ended the match with a first-serve percentage of 50% against Monfils’ 68%. Monfils also hit 41 winners against Medvedev's 27.
