Indian Wells, California – Much like a distinguished French vintage, such as a classic Burgundy or Bordeaux, the astonishing Gael Monfils continues to impress and evolve as he ages gracefully. On Saturday night at Indian Wells, he showcased his extraordinary talent against Sebastian Korda, etching his name into the annals of Masters 1000 history.
This incredible 38-year-old athlete triumphed over Korda with a scoreline of 7-6(2), 7-6(4), becoming the third-oldest player to reach the third round of a Masters 1000 tournament.
Monfils excelled during critical moments of the match and delivered an outstanding performance against the 24th-seeded American. He now gears up for an exciting third-round encounter with the 14th-seeded Grigor Dimitrov.
A seasoned competitor at Indian Wells, Monfils has made it to the quarterfinal stage twice and is among just five active players with a remarkable 20 or more victories at this prestigious event. With this latest win, he boosts his overall record in the California desert to 22-14 and stands at 11-3 for the current season. Earlier this year, Monfils made headlines by becoming the oldest player to ever clinch an ATP title after defeating Zizou Bergs in the Auckland final.
Enchanting Monfils 🌟
The moment @Gael_Monfils sets the stage for a thrilling match against Dimitrov by overcoming Sebastian Korda with a score of 7-6 7-6 🎉#TennisParadise pic.twitter.com/K3B8sDCr86
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) March 9, 2025
At this point, only the legendary 39-year-old Jimmy Connors at Miami in 1992 and the remarkable 40-year-old Ivo Karlovic at Indian Wells in 2019 have reached the third round of a Masters 1000 event at a more mature age.
