Brisbane International Tennis - Australian Open Series

Evening session at Pat Rafter Arena, Day 5

It was a rollercoaster ride for Kim Clijsters and Gael Monfils at Pat Rafter Arena.

In the first match of the night, the first-seeded Belgian battled hard an hour and 25 minutes to earn a 6-1 0-6 6-4 win over resilient Czech Lucie Safarova. Clijsters will now face revelation player Andrea Petkovic from Germany in the semifinals.

Later on, Gael Monfils overcame his shoulder difficulties to produce a notable victory over a solid James Blake in three sets, 3-6 6-3 6-4.

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  • announakis

    yes vas-y Gael ! tu vas le faire ma caille ! je t'ai vu face a Dent dans “l'arene” et tu merites ! j'ai pas vu ton match face a Blake mais c'etait pas un morceau facile c'est clair…continue ! joue et fais toi plaisir ca nous fera plaisir !

  • leas

    i love james,gael and andy these guy are my favroite players to wacth with gael it's always a treat like on a hot summer day and you are looking for some that cool and refreshing. james is one of the guy when his game is on it hot like a bag of pop corn that just been popped . i hope this year will be better for him and he back in the top10 were he belongs. andy hope this year you win a slam. i seen you wrok really hard and hang in their . this you will be the last man standing with great victory.

  • Andrew Broad

    Lucie Šafářová looks as great as she played in the second set!

  • Ian

    Sports psychology is so interesting, the way Kim won the 1st set so easily and the way the 2nd set unfolded, where Kim looked 'gone for all money' and then how the 3rd set was a real contest. Similarly, Blake looked a 'shoe-in' early, but when we left the arena mid-way through the last set (due to public transport considereations in getting home on the last train to Ferny Grove from Central) you could see Blake tiring and the high likelihood of Monfils winning.
    A good night's tennis, having last attended a professional game at the Australian Open in 1994 when Graff wiped the court with Arancha Sanchez 6-0 and 6-1 in the women's final.
    Oh for the days of players who can be number one without grunting, yelping, complaining continually, and not threatening lines' people (which deserved a 12 month suspension by the way).
    Aren't Australian tennis crowds so polite comparitively, apart from the few women who sit there fanning themselves (with brightly coloured fans) in sight of players who are trying to serve and play for points. If you've got hot flushes be considerate and mindful of the players and stay home!!!!

  • Ian

    Lucy seemed to warm into the game, as her serving spped increased and she looked likely to upset Kim, but experience and talent are often deciding factors.

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