Monfils Defeats Blake to Open U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship
On Monday night at the 2013 U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship, serving was the story as France’s Gael Monfils defeated American James Blake 7-6(5), 7-5 in opening round action at River Oaks Country Club in Houston, Texas. Monfils fired 15 aces, while Blake had to fend off 15 break points on his serve. Blake did manage two breaks of his own, but each time it did not take long for Monfils to get the break back.
In the first set, Monfils was broken in the ninth game of the opening set. But he immediately got the break back, and eventually won the set in the tie-break. Blake raced to a 3-0 lead in the second set with a break, but with a break of his own Monfils got it back to three-all. They continued on serve to get to five-all until Monfils broke Blake before firing two aces while serving out the match. The 15 aces for Monfils are tied for the sixth most in tournament history (since 1991). Blake won just 57 percent of his service points in the match.
Monfils will next play top seed Nicolas Almagro. They are 2-2 head to head in all-time meetings, with Almagro winning both clay meetings.
Also in opening round action, Americans Tim Smyczek and Rhyne Williams earned their first career ATP match wins on clay. Smyczek was a 6-1, 6-2 winner over Frenchman Josselin Ouanna, while Williams was a 7-5, 7-5 winner over Guido Pella. Smyczek will next face defending champion Juan Monaco, while Williams will take on fellow American Sam Querrey.
The River Oaks International was founded in 1931, and for 75-plus, years has been played at the same venue on it’s original surface. Over 75 years of professional tennis, River Oaks has been home to many different tournaments including their own invitational event and the Stanford Champions Cup. In 2008, the River Oaks International merged with the U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championships to become the ATP World Tour 250 level event, the River Oaks U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship.
