Gael Monfils has been the undisputed best player this week in Washington, D.C., but one giant hurdle–literally–remains in the Frenchman’s way of just his sixth career title. It will be Monfils vs. Ivo Karlovic in Sunday’s championship match.
Gael Monfils and Ivo Karlovic will be squaring off for the fifth time in their careers at the ATP level and for the first time in more than five years when they battle for the Citi Open title on Sunday afternoon.
The head-to-head series is all tied up at two wins apiece, and their only previous hard-court encounter ended just about how anyone would expect: in a final-set tiebreaker. At the 2009 Cincinnati Masters, Karlovic prevailed 6-4, 6-7(5), 7-6(2). They have not collided since a clay-court battle at the 2011 Madrid Masters, where Monfils got the job done 6-3, 7-6(6). Of 10 total sets completed against each other, seven have resulted in tiebreakers.
Surprisingly, Karlovic required no tiebreakers during semifinal action on Saturday. The 6’11” Croat saved all five of the break points he faced while converting two of his five chances to defeat Steve Johnson 6-4, 6-4. At 37 years old, Karlovic is playing some of the best tennis of his life right now. He registers at 35th in the world after winning the Newport title last week and will soon be inside the top 30 regardless of Sunday’s result. Prior to cruising past Johnson, Washington, D.C.’s No. 13 seed ousted Brian Baker, Bernard Tomic, and Jack Sock all in straight sets.
“We all know how he’s playing,” Monfils said of his opponent. “There are no surprise It’s going to be tough. I think I’m going to work on a couple game-plans, but it’s more (about) being ready for some opportunities that I will have and I will try to be focused on every opportunity.”
“I just have to focus on me, because that is my game,” Karlovic explained. “I cannot let [Monfils] dictate [how I play]. I’m gonna try and get as close to the net as I can, as quick as I can.”
Monfils has also been just about flawless this week. The 17th-ranked Frenchman is through to his second Washington, D.C. final following victories over Yen-Hsun Lu, Borna Coric, Sam Querrey (in three sets), and Alexander Zverev. This is only Monfils’ second event since mid-May and he had won just a single match since finishing runner-up to Rafael Nadal at April’s Monte-Carlo Masters prior to his arrival in Washington, D.C.
As good as the second seed has looked this week, he will certainly deal with some obstacles on Sunday–and not just the booming Karlovic serve. A 3:00 p.m. start is in the cards and whereas Karlovic has played most of his matches in the afternoon, Monfils’ four previous outings were all part of evening sessions. Moreover, one of the most infamous statistics on the ATP Tour is Monfils’ futile record in title matches; 5-19 to be exact. Since the start of 2012, the former world No. 7 is 1-8 in finals–with his lone triumph coming two years ago on the indoor hard courts of Montpellier. He has never won a tournament worth more than 250 points.
Needless to say, this is a phenomenal opportunity for Karlovic to capture back-to-back titles from just about out of nowhere.
Pick: Karlovic in 3
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