By Ian Ransom
MELBOURNE, Jan 20 (Reuters) - Tennis showman Gael Monfils bowed out of his 20th and final Australian Open on Tuesday with a mix of pain and regret as he fell to an injury-hampered 6-7(3) 7-5 6-4 7-5 defeat in the first round to local qualifier Dane Sweeny.
The 39-year-old Frenchman had flashes of his trademark flamboyance and somehow made a game of it despite being severely restricted in his movement amid a heady atmosphere at Kia Arena.
"My journey started in 2003 with you guys, now we
are in 2026 and somehow it's the finish line. Thank you so much for this amazing ride, you guys have been unbelievable," Monfils told the cheering fans who gave him a standing ovation.
"I've got a lot of great memories here ... I've been very lucky to play here for many years. Thank you very much."
Home fans, some toting inflatable kangaroos, were in full voice as world number 182 Sweeny roared back from 5-3 down and took four straight games to claim the second set.
But even their cheers tapered as Monfils' movement diminished to a crab-walk across the baseline.
Sweeny rode an early break and took the third set, soon after Monfils' wife Elina Svitolina, the Ukrainian tennis professional, arrived at her husband's players' box for moral support.
A match seemingly headed for a deflating finish spontaneously re-ignited, though, as Monfils went for broke with his shots and the 24-year-old Australian froze with nerves.
Monfils thrashed a backhand down the line to break Sweeny and duly surged to a 4-1 lead.
The rally halted abruptly there, though, with Sweeny showing admirable composure to claim six of the first seven games and surge to his first win in a Grand Slam match.
(Reporting by Ian Ransom in Melbourne; Editing by Thomas Derpinghaus)
