Gael Monfils rallies to upset Taylor Fritz at Australian Open

MELBOURNE, Australia — Gael Monfils joined Roger Federer as the only men to reach the Australian Open’s fourth round at age 38 or older since the tournament field expanded to 128 players in 1988, coming back to beat No. 4 seed Taylor Fritz 3-6, 7-5, 7-6 (1), 6-4 on Saturday.

After punctuating his victory with a 134 mph ace — his 24th of the afternoon, doubling Fritz’s total — Monfils did a celebratory dance at the baseline while thousands of fans at Margaret Court Arena roared, many waving French flags.

He started his season with a title at a hard-court event in Auckland, New Zealand, which made him the oldest man to win a tournament since at least 1990.

“Just fortunate. But every day is different. We work hard. I try to be very disciplined with the recovery. I am a strong believer [in] myself. Strong belief I can do some damage,” said Monfils, who has never been past the quarterfinals in Melbourne but did reach two major semifinals, most recently at the 2016 US Open. “With a little luck, here we are in the second week of the Australian Open.”

Federer was a slightly older 38 when he reached the semifinals at Melbourne Park in 2020, which turned out to be his last appearance at the tournament.

Monfils next will take on a much younger opponent, No. 21 Ben Shelton of the United States, who is 22. The 21st seed and a US Open semifinalist in 2023, Shelton defeated No. 16 Lorenzo Musetti of Italy 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (5)

Playing his usual brand of charismatic, entertaining tennis in front of a loud crowd Saturday, Monfils compiled an impressive ratio of 58 winners to 34 unforced errors and dropped only one service game. And though Monfils won 11 of the 15 points he finished at the net, Fritz was only 16-for-30 when he pushed forward.

“I’ve done the job,” Monfils said.

Fritz, 27, the runner-up to Jannik Sinner at the US Open in September, became the highest-seeded man to exit the bracket at Melbourne Park this year. Fritz’s right foot was treated by a trainer during the match.

The result ended a 12-match losing streak for Monfils against top-five players at Grand Slam tournaments.

Monfils’ wife, Elina Svitolina, played in the same stadium Saturday night — and also pulled off a victory over a fourth-seeded foe, besting two-time Slam finalist Jasmine Paolini 2-6, 6-4, 6-0.

“I warmed up the court for her,” Monfils said prior to Svitolina’s match.

At the other end of the age spectrum, a pair of young Californians who have been pals for a while and trained together in the offseason — Learner Tien, 19, and Alex Michelsen, 20 — earned debuts in the fourth round at a major. Ben Shelton, who is 22, won, too. No. 1 Jannik Sinner, however, eliminated American Marcos Giron 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 and will next face No. 13 Holger Rune, who beat Miomir Kecmanovic 6-7 (5), 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4.

Tien, a qualifier ranked 121st, followed up his surprising win against No. 5 Daniil Medvedev in a five-setter that ended at 3 a.m. on Friday with a 7-6 (10), 6-3, 6-3 victory over Corentin Moutet of France. Michelsen, who is ranked 42nd, overwhelmed No. 19 seed Karen Khachanov of Russia 6-3, 7-6 (5), 6-2. It was the second time Michelsen knocked off a top-20 seed this week after beating No. 11 Stefanos Tsitsipas, the 2023 Australian Open runner-up, in the first round.

Michelsen will try to send another high seed packing when he plays No. 8 Alex de Minaur, an Australian who beat No. 31 Francisco Cerundolo 5-7, 7-6 (3), 6-3, 6-3. Tien faces 55th-ranked Lorenzo Sonego of Italy, a 6-7 (3), 7-6 (6), 6-1, 6-2 winner over Fabian Marozsan.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.