Monfils stuns No. 4 Fritz to advance to round of 16 at Aussie Open

For Gael Monfils, age is but a number.

Monfils is off to the round of 16 at the Australian Open courtesy of a 3-6, 7-5, 7-6 (1), 6-4 upset victory over fourth-seeded Taylor Fritz.

The 38-year-old Frenchman will look to progress to the quarterfinals in Melbourne for the third time in his career, his joint-best finish in the previous 18 times he's competed at the tournament.

Monfils faces the winner of Ben Shelton-Lorenzo Mussetti match that is scheduled to take place later Saturday.

After dropping the first set, Monfils stormed back to take the second before snatching a one-set advantage on the 27-year-old American thanks to a one-sided tiebreaker.

Monfils' diverse shot selection and robust serve were the difference, and that carried over to the fourth and final set. Monfils broke Fritz's serve to take a 5-4 lead before finishing off his opponent on his next service game to the delight of those in attendance at the Margaret Court Arena.

It was vintage performance from Monfils, who paired 58 winners with 24 aces, including one to close out the match. He also won 82% of his first serves.

Despite never advancing beyond the semifinals at a Grand Slam, Monfils has been one of the most consistent players on the men's side. He's reached at least one ATP Tour singles final every year for 19 consecutive seasons from 2005 to 2023, and is one of just five players in the Open Era to accomplish the feat in 19 or more seasons.

Earlier in January, Monfils won the ASB Classic in Auckland to surpass Roger Federer as the oldest player to win an ATP Tour title since the tour was established in 1990.

Monfils' wife, Elina Svitolina, was set to face the fourth seed in the women's draw, Jasmine Paolini, on the same court next. "I think I warmed up the court for her," Monfils said following the victory over Fritz.