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10/20/11 8:57 PM | Ricky Dimon
Gael Monfils comes back from a break down in the third set to beat Bernard Tomic on Thursday in Stockholm. Monfils will go up against Kevin Anderson for a spot in the semifinals.
Gael Monfils battled through a back-and-forth thriller to defeat Bernard Tomic 6-4, 6-7(4), 6-4 in the second round of the If Stockholm Open on Thursday night. Monfils blasted 18 aces and saved eight of nine break points to advance after one hour and 50 minutes.
Monfils needed just one break to win the opening frame of play, although he just barely made it stand up. The Frenchman fought off seven break points to consolidate his lead and he finished the set at 5-4 with his sixth ace.
With momentum in hand, Monfils had a chance to break open the match when he earned a break point at 3-3 in the second. Tomic, though, came up with a big down-the-line backhand and managed to hold for 4-3. Monfils faced no break points en route to a tiebreaker but struggled when it mattered most. Tomic seized two straight mini-breaks starting at 5-4 to take the 'breaker in style.
Monfils appeared to be on a fast track out of Stockholm following the second-set disappointment. The world No. 10 immediately got broken at love in a game that featured an unnecessary between-the-legs volley. Tomic soon had a break point at 4-2 to completely run away with victory, but he missed his chance.
After surviving for 3-4, Monfils had a drastic mental turnaround and did a complete 180 in the energy department. Stockholm's top seed capitalized on his third break point for 4-4 then held in lightning-quick fashion to put the pressure back on his opponent. A reeling Tomic promptly fell into a 0-40 hole, saved a pair of match points, but then netted a forehand to end it.
The 44th-ranked Aussie, who turns 19 on Friday, struck four aces against one double-fault. Both players served at 73 percent, while Monfils moves on to face fifth-seeded Kevin Anderson.
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Bernard Tomic 
