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Monfils becomes oldest ATP Tour champion with Auckland win

BBC
·2 min read
Gael Monfils wins at ASB Classic
Former world number six Monfils won his first title in 2005 [Getty Images]

Gael Monfils made history by becoming the oldest winner of an ATP Tour singles title with victory at the ASB Classic in Auckland.

France's Monfils beat Belgium's Zizou Bergs 6-3 6-4 in the final to claim his 13th tour-level title.

At 38 years and four months old, Monfils has become the oldest singles champion since the ATP Tour was formed in 1990.

Swiss great Roger Federer previously held the record - he was 38 years and two months old when he won the Basel title in 2019.

"It means a lot. Age is a number," said Monfils.

"But we keep working. I keep believing that I can play high-quality tennis and I have been showing it this week so I am very happy."

The victory in Auckland also sees Monfils become the oldest man to win a tour-level title since 43-year-old Ken Rosewall won in Hong Kong in 1977.

"I don't win a lot. It's been more than 20 years I've been playing and it's just 13 times I ended up winning," Monfils added.

The world number 52, who won his first title in 2005, will now travel to Melbourne for the Australian Open, which starts on Sunday.

Monfils faces 21-year-old rising star Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in an all-French first-round tie.

Keys overcomes injury to win all-American final in Adelaide

Madison Keys of USA celebrates winning the match in the Women's Singles Final against Jessica Pegula of USA
It is a second title in Adelaide for Madison Keys, who also won in 2022 [Getty Images]

Elsewhere, Madison Keys beat top seed Jessica Pegula in an all-American final to win the Adelaide International.

Keys overcame a leg injury to win 6-3 4-6 6-1 and claim her ninth WTA title.

The world number 20 returned from an off-court medical timeout in the second set with tape around her upper left leg, but managed to storm through the deciding set in just 26 minutes to wrap up victory.

US Open runner-up Pegula was playing in her first tournament since withdrawing from the WTA Finals in November with a knee injury.

Pegula is seeded seventh at the Australian Open, which starts on Sunday, and will face Australian wildcard Maya Joint in the first round, while Keys takes on compatriot Ann Li.

In the men's competition, Felix Auger-Aliassime beat American Sebastian Korda 6-3 3-6 6-1 to clinch his sixth ATP Tour title.

It is Canadian Auger-Aliassime's first title since 2023.