Bagel in the final set :(

His results have been a bit shaky since Wimbledon. So I am not really surprised.

Shame he is a great player and such a nice guy.

Margin for error, non-existent today from the cypriot. Too impatient, going for the early winner. He should've have stuck to what he does best, constructing the points and then taking the right ball on. Obviously though, he was rattled by the absolutely SUPERB movement of the Frenchman :bow:

Monfils, so erratic, so injury-prone, but he is really firing at this tourny. Although pre-dominantely counter-punching, he can just whip that ball around the court with his forehand, with that brutal racquet head speed. Absolutely fantastic from Monfils.

Though he's got it rough in round 3 against Gasquet. A battle of skill vs dilligence me thinks :unsure:

Shame for baghdatis now, gonna drop in the rankings for sure. Just seemed to wilt under the pressure of having to do well in the tourny :shrug:

Always had my suspicions...but monfils was always playing out of his socks....certainly the better player won.... better fortune next time to marcos

9mmsuzi, I have only noticed your avatar roflmao roflmao roflmao roflmao It is defo the winner. :clap:

:( for Baggy but great stuff for Monfils. tbh, I like both these players so not too bothered, and from whats been said here, sounds like Monfils deserved the win - so way to go him :)

saw some of the match on BBCi just seemed that Baggy wasn't on song today, but Montfils pulled some nice shots

Very dissapointing. he hit too many errors, however he did make a great comeback in set 3 and I think he lost his momentum due to the waiting around while Monfils had his injury time out.

Speaking of which, I don't understand how he could be limping and refusing to run one minute and then bouncing round like a rabbit on springs the next. :shrug: Surely to god that was not all due to his bandage being too tight? Anyone have any explantions, it does make me feel suspicious.

I am concerned about Monfil's movement though - i mean it is superb but it doesn't look right and it is bound to cuase injuries a lot for him if he doesn't tighten it up surely? He's a very tall man and quite gangly, and that kind of movement doesn't normaly come naturally to that build does it? He played some great point though, but I woudl have preferred Baghi to win. Question is can Monfils keep this level up, especially on the lesser courts cos he does seem to like to show off in front of big crowds. Anyway Baghi is such a sport, he coudl have sulked of fin disgust but you coudl see he was upset but sincere when he hugged Monfils and waved bye to the crowd. And did anyone see when Monfils wasn;t moving and hitting lame shots back and Baghi did the same back?

Have to say that's honestly top 3 of best moving on the tour. He is up there with Nadal and Federer on movement and speed.

As for the match, he faked an injury. Let Baggy think he was going to get a w/o just when Marcos was getting into his stride, then came out blasting as if nothing had happened putting Baggy off.

Still good win. Now Marcos has less pressure he will enjoy it more and probably go deeper elsewhere.

unless he makes something happen, baggy is always going to live in the shadow of that 06 final :wacko:

Unfortunately I didn't get to see this match, but here are my thoughts...

1. Baghdatis' run to the final last year - I really thought he'd struggle to emulate that this year (although I wasn't quite expecting him to lose at this stage). There was something 'fairytale' about it last year, almost like he was a surprise package. He brings a lot to the table (his game to me is like a cross between Hewitt and Grosjean), but unfortunately is not especially consistent.

2. Monfils is almost the forgotten player of the 'young guns' - injuries, and even greater inconsistency than Baghdatis have shown him plummet down the rankings. However, he has great determination, fantastic athleticism and is more tactically astute than in the past. I thought he came of age at last year's French Open where he handled the expectation, and crowd, very well to say the least. His game is not always pretty (in common with Murray, he can grind out results and win ugly) but he is a great competitor.

3. Monfils' 'gamesmanship' - don't know what to make of this - on the one hand, the French kid has had a lot of injury problems - on the other hand, he learnt a harsh lesson from Novak Djokovic at US Open all about injury time-outs and gamesmanship.

4. Its really great that these young guns are playing each other in the big matches. Wasn't this match between 2 former junior world number ones? Gasquet v Monfils should hopefully be a decent match, although the fact that both players seem to get on quite well might make it less of a gunfight than the crowd may like.

Baghdatis will be back - he's too talented not to be involved in the big matches. But I can't help feeling that maybe he needs another coach - someone to work on that consistency, and avoid the alarming slumps in form he is prone to. He has a fantastic temperament, but maybe he needs a little more steel and single-mindedness (like, say Djokovic).

Hmm.. I've just been watching this match. I recorded it and then tried to ignore the scores today (just like in the likely lads, for those of you who remember that!! :lol: )

I was backing Baggy, and like other fans of his, was disappointed. However, it was clear that he struggled under the weight of expectation. After his last match, he stated that he didn't enjoy it that much due to all of his family being there, groups of fans singing. I think that last year, he just arrived out of the blue with his (now apparently ex) girlfriend and without pressure played with a freedom that allowed him to take matches to opponents and catch them cold! In this match, his game seemed tight and there just didn't seem to be as much joy in him. As the finalist from last year, he was now a marked man, and it showed.

In terms of where he can go from here? Well, I think that technically he's quite solid. I think that it's mainly in the mind. For some reason, I think that maybe he will do better as the year goes on. Not much rationale behind this, just a feeling. Maybe he'll have a good run at the USO, who knows? :shrug: But I do think that he needs a few lower profile tournaments to get into the groove again and play with the joie de vivre that makes him so endearing.

As for Monfils? Well, I'd agree with all comments about his movement.. phenomenal! however, I do think that he needs to just be more canny with his game, as he goes for broke a little too often. Makes for exciting viewing, but a loose cannon at times, and he will be punished for that if he's not careful. He reminds me of Pim-Pim Johansson who often goes for broke, hitting winners all over the court. I remember Agassi having a particularly torrid time, and just had to weather the storm. The gameplan against Monfils would be the same. I have doubts about Monfils being as together mentally as his peers; the mental discpline might be difficult for him to attain. If he had Djokovic's focus for example he could be fearsome! But I just get the impression that he could play brilliantly one round and totally shank the next. But good luck to him. And he's certainly quite a character to have on the tour!!

I agree with you Mr I. I beelive Baghi is too special to not be back in the big time. He might nto be in it consitently but I am sure he will at least be a player with a few huge results in the future. he does need to work on the consitency though, maybe a new coach could sort that out. Baghi has qualities that other players lack, like real heart for the game and a crowd pleasing persona that if chanelled right will make him a very special and sucessful player. I really hope they do anyway. Djoko was a good example to state - he really is a focused, determined player for a young 'un. I'm loving his attitude. :)

Good post, but I'm going to have you for your cheek on the Murray thread! roflmao

I just get a feelign that Monfils can play to the big crowd and thrives on attention. He may have to play n a smaller court next then what? Also I find him frustrating becasue he plays a great match one day and a crap one the next. he doe sneed to find that Djoko factor. I'm pissed at Monfils as I reckon he faked that injury, sorry but how can you recover so fast? I wish my physio was that good! roflmao

This was always gonna happen the minute Baghdatis came up against anyone half-decent in the early rounds, pressure of last year and all that. Monfils is unlikely to amount to anything, and this victory isn't particularly noteworthy - Gasquet will take care of him handily in the next round. Should be a great match though - will split France right down the middle.

Baggy'll be back, whether he'll ever win a Slam I'm not sure, but I see him becoming some kind of cult figure in the mould of Goran. He'll definitely remain a top 10 player throughout the peak of his career.

I am quite disappointed and surprised by this.I hope Gasquet does well then.