Monfils, who has won more Grand Slam singles matches than any other French man, now also has a 20-19 win-loss record in five-set matches.
He didn’t face a break point against Mpetshi Perricard in five sets, and coped with what is widely regarded as the best second-serve in tennis. He converted two of 12 break-point chances.
But he also had 18 double-faults, including one when he was serving for the match in the third set, and another on a match point in the third-set tiebreaker that let his younger rival back into the match, and extended it by 1 1/2 hours.
Afterwards, the pair cooled down and stretched together in the locker room.
“Sometimes on the bench I say to myself, ‘He is not 38,” Mpetshi Perricard said. “Physically I don’t think he’s 38, but yeah, I mean, I’ll have to be better on some part to win this kind of match. I’m still young. I still can learn.”
There were some other dramatic five-setters, with fifth-seeded and tempestuous Daniil Medvedev, a former US Open champion and three-time finalist in Australia, edging Grand Slam rookie Kasidit Samrej 6-2, 4-6, 3-6, 6-1, 6-2 and No. 13 Holger Rune beating Zhang Zhizhen 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4.
