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  • Gonzalez, Monfils ready for quarterfinal showdown

    10/10/08 12:47 AM | Ricky Dimon
    - Fernando Gonzalez and Gael Monfils will battle on Friday in what appears to be by far the most enticing quarterfinal matchup at the Bank Austria Tennis Trophy.

    It probably comes as surprise that Friday's quarterfinal clash in Vienna between Fernando Gonzalez and Gael Monfils will be the first-ever head-to-head meeting between the two Top 30 stars. If the Austrian fans are interested in seeing high-quality tennis, this seems to be the ideal time for a Gonzalez-Monfils encounter, as both men are in stellar form right now.

    Gonzalez is not quite as on fire as he was en route to the 2007 Australian Open final, but he could be close to that level. The No. 2 seed, ranked 12th in the world and contending for a Shanghai berth, won the silver medal at the Olympics and reached the fourth round of the U.S. Open. During the clay-court swing he won a title in Munich and made it to the quarterfinals at Roland Garros. While the Chilean imploded late last year under the pressure of qualifying for the Masters Cup, he seems to be handling it just fine this time around. In both of his matches so far this week he prevailed after forcing a third set by winning the second in a tiebreaker. In round two against Ernests Gulbis, Gonzalez even saved five match points.

    Monfils might be even hotter at the moment. The Frenchman reached the quarterfinals of the Olympics, the fourth round of the U.S. Open, and the semifinals in Bangkok in his past three tournaments. He dropped his first set in Vienna but then flew past Alexander Peya, and on Thursday he scored an impressive blowout win over Radek Stepanek. Monfils is up to 28th in the rankings and 24th in the 2008 race despite missing considerable time with injuries.

    Not only should this match feature outstanding play, but it should also be wildly entertaining due to the contrast in styles. Gonzalez hits almost all of his forehands as hard as he possibly can, while Monfils uses his unrivaled speed and athleticism to counter-punch and get tons of balls back. Monfils played more aggressively than usual against Stepanek, but on Friday he will most likely try to frustrate his streaky opponent by refusing to miss. Gonzalez should be able to power his way to a set, but look for Monfils' rock-solid play to win out at the end of a three-set thriller.

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