Elina Svitolina proud of husband Gael Monfils after Frenchman's 1R win at French Open
Elina Svitolina has expressed her pride over husband Gael Monfils' first round win at the 2023 French Open.
Winless in eight of his last nine matches, Monfils entered the French Open with little to no expectations. However, the Frenchman pulled off a surprise win over Sebastian Baez in the opening round, much to the delight of his wife and the home crowd.
Taking to social media on Tuesday (May 30), Svitolina conveyed her joy at Monfils' dramatic win.
"So proud of you @iamgaelmonfils," she wrote on her Instagram stories.
Gael Monfils was on the brink of losing as he trailed 0-4 in the final set. However, the Frenchman rallied past Baez with the help of his aggressive forehand.
Monfils was also backed immensely by the home crowd, and he ultimately triumphed 3-6, 6-3, 7-5, 1-6, 7-5 after three hours and 47 minutes.
During his on-court interview, Monfils said that the win over Baez was among the top two matches he had ever played at Roland Garros. The Frenchman mentioned that the third round win against Pablo Cuevas in 2015 was special too.
"It's definitely in like [my] top two [matches]. I had the same one almost kind of some years ago against [Pablo] Cuevas on [Court Suzanne] Lenglen," he said.
Monfils also praised the fans for the atmosphere they created at the Court Philippe-Chatrier.
"It was an unbelievable atmosphere as well," Gael Monfils continued. "Of course this one is another flavor. I'm older, and even less chances, let's say, to win this match today. It was a great atmosphere tonight, I guess for some spectators as well. I know I have some friends for the first time they came to Roland Garros. So I think it was a good experience for them."
Elina Svitolina and Gael Monfils to face Storm Sanders and Holger Rune respectively in French Open 2R
Following her first round win over Martina Trevisan, Elina Svitolina will face Storm Sanders in the Round of 64 on Wednesday (May 31). Meanwhile, Gael Monfils will next square off against Holger Rune on Thursday.
Svitolina's head-to-head record against Sanders stands at 1-0. The Ukrainian won their only prior meeting, at the 2020 Thailand Open.
Monfils will face Rune for the first time on the tour. While the Frenchman has won just two matches so far on clay this year, Rune has already made three final appearances on the surface, winning one of them. The Dane is currently 15-3 for the 2023 claycourt season.