Gael Monfils Wins in Montreal – A Historic Farewell at the Canadian Open 2026
Just before midnight on Tuesday August 4, Gael Monfils raised his arms toward the IGA Stadium crowd in the trademark golf-swing celebration that has accompanied some of the most memorable moments of his career. The Montreal fans who stayed until midnight to watch him seal the win rose to their feet and gave him a standing ovation that shook the stadium.
At 39 years old, in the final season of a glittering career, Monfils had just written another chapter in a story that refuses to end quietly.
His 6-4, 6-4 victory over Poland’s Kamil Majchrzak in his 15th and final appearance at the Canadian Open made him the oldest man to win a match at the National Bank Open since Pancho Gonzales in 1970. It was his first tour-level win since Monte-Carlo in April. It finished just before midnight. And the crowd that watched it happen will remember it for a very long time.
Quick Facts:
| Detail | Info |
| Match result | Monfils defeated Majchrzak 6-4, 6-4 |
| Match duration | 1 hour 24 minutes |
| Monfils age | 39, turns 40 on September 1 |
| Entry method | Wildcard |
| Appearance number | 15th and final at Canadian Open |
| Historic record | Oldest man to win at Canadian Open since Pancho Gonzales 1970 |
| Last tour win | Monte-Carlo, April 2026 |
| Next opponent | Learner Tien, No. 12 seed |
Match Result – Monfils Defeats Majchrzak 6-4, 6-4
Gael Monfils made sure to extend his final visit to Montreal as a tennis professional with a composed and entertaining performance against Kamil Majchrzak that had the IGA Stadium crowd thoroughly engaged from the first point to the last.
The match was not straightforward. Majchrzak, the Polish No. 1 making his Canadian Open debut, arrived in Montreal having won the Libema Open earlier this season with victories over Daniil Medvedev, Alex de Minaur, and Felix Auger-Aliassime during that title run. He was not an easy opponent and he proved it during the closing stages when the match briefly threatened to become complicated.
How the match unfolded:
| Set | Score | Key Moment |
| First set | Monfils 6-4 | Controlled serving, broke Majchrzak at crucial moment |
| Second set | Monfils 6-4 | Majchrzak saved match point, Monfils held composure |
| Match total | 1 hour 24 minutes | Finished just before midnight |
The closing stages briefly became tense when Majchrzak recovered one of the breaks and saved a match point. But Monfils responded with a composed love hold to finish the match, sealing the victory with a drop-shot passing shot combination in the final game that drew gasps and then roars from the crowd.
The celebration that followed was pure Monfils. The trademark golf-swing gesture. The connection with the crowd. The smile that told everyone in the stadium exactly how much this moment meant to him.
The Historic Record – Oldest Since Pancho Gonzales in 1970
The victory over Majchrzak placed Monfils in the record books alongside one of the most legendary names in tennis history.
At 39 years and 335 days old, Monfils became the second-oldest man to win a match at the Canadian Open since Pancho Gonzales achieved the same feat in 1970. Gonzales, the dominant force in men’s tennis across the 1950s and 1960s, was 42 years old when he last won at the Canadian Open. Monfils at 39 is the closest any player has come to matching that age record at this specific tournament in 56 years.
The record in context:
What makes this record significant:
| Record | Detail |
| Oldest winner since | Pancho Gonzales, 1970 |
| Gonzales age at the time | 42 years old |
| Monfils age at victory | 39 years and 335 days |
| Gap between records | 56 years |
| Turns 40 | September 1, 2026 |
| 2026 season record before match | 3-7 |
Professional tennis has become a younger sport in the modern era. The physical demands of competing against world class opponents on hard courts in August at 39 years old are genuinely extraordinary. Players of Monfils’ age typically retire well before finding themselves winning matches against the Polish No. 1 at a Masters 1000 event in front of a midnight crowd.
The result was even more impressive considering the quality of his opponent. Majchrzak arrived in Montreal after winning the Libema Open earlier this season, where he defeated three top-10 players during his title run, including Daniil Medvedev, Alex de Minaur, and Felix Auger-Aliassime.
His 15th and Final Appearance in Montreal
The number 15 carries enormous weight for Gael Monfils at the Canadian Open. Only John McEnroe and Mikhail Youzhny, both with 16 appearances, have competed at this event more than the fan-favourite Frenchman across the Open Era.
His relationship with Montreal spans more than two decades of professional tennis. He has played here through the peak years of his career, through injuries and comebacks, through personal triumphs and disappointments, and through the gradual transition from one of the tour’s most exciting young talents to one of its most beloved elder statesmen.
Monfils Canadian Open career record:
| Stat | Detail |
| Total appearances | 15 (joint third most in Open Era) |
| Career record | 25-13 |
| Wins ranking | 9th man with 25+ wins at event in Open Era |
| Best results | Two-time semifinalist, 2016 and 2019 |
| Final appearance | 2026 Montreal edition |
| Only more appearances | McEnroe and Youzhny, both 16 |
The two semifinal runs:
Monfils reached the Montreal semifinals in both 2016 and 2019, his best results at this specific tournament. Those runs placed him among the most successful players of his generation at the Canadian Open and built the deep connection with the Montreal crowd that was so visible during Tuesday night’s match and celebration.
His 25-13 record at this event makes him the ninth man to record 25 or more wins at the Canadian Open in the Open Era, a statistic that reflects how consistently competitive he has been at this tournament across his career. Tuesday’s victory brought that record to 25 wins and kept the farewell story alive for at least one more match in Montreal.
The Crowd That Stayed Until Midnight
The most powerful image from Tuesday night at IGA Stadium was not the scoreline or the record or the golf-swing celebration. It was the crowd.
Thousands of Montreal fans stayed in their seats until just before midnight on a Tuesday night to watch Gael Monfils complete his victory over Majchrzak. They cheered every winning point. They groaned at every error. They held their breath when Majchrzak saved the match point in the second set. And when Monfils finally sealed the win with his drop-shot passing shot combination, they gave him a response that filled every corner of IGA Stadium.
What the crowd witnessed:
| Moment | Crowd Reaction |
| Opening games | Immediate connection, cheering every Monfils point |
| Drop shot display | Gasps followed by roars throughout the match |
| Match point drama | Collective tension when Majchrzak saved the point |
| Final point | Standing ovation as Monfils sealed victory |
| On-court speech | Emotional silence then another standing ovation |
| Golf-swing celebration | Recognition of a signature moment from a beloved player |
The on-court speech:
After the match Monfils addressed the crowd directly in his on-court interview, delivering one of the most genuine and heartfelt moments the Canadian Open has produced in recent memory.
“Thank you for this atmosphere, thank you for being here, thank you from the bottom of my heart, you’re incredible.”
Those words, spoken to thousands of fans who had stayed past midnight to share the moment with him, captured everything about what Gael Monfils means to tennis and what tennis means to Gael Monfils.
Monfils in His Own Words
The post-match interview gave Monfils the opportunity to reflect on a victory that meant far more than the ranking points or the prize money it delivered.
On the match itself:
“I felt like I played well, I was serving really good. I’m super happy that I got through.”
The composure in those words reflected a player who has been in tight situations hundreds of times across a career spanning more than two decades. When Majchrzak saved the match point and the crowd held its breath, Monfils drew on everything that experience has taught him.
“Of course nerves came. To be honest I played so many matches like this in my career, you just try to delete it. The momentum shifted and I was there.”
On the Montreal crowd:
“Thank you for this atmosphere, thank you for being here, thank you from the bottom of my heart, you’re incredible.”
Those three sentences, delivered to thousands of fans who had stayed past midnight in Montreal on a Tuesday night, told the complete story of what the Canadian Open means to Gael Monfils and what Gael Monfils means to the Canadian Open.
The emotion behind the words:
Monfils has always had a unique connection with tennis crowds that goes beyond results and rankings. His playing style, his celebrations, his personality on court, all of it creates an emotional investment from fans that very few players in the history of the sport have matched. Tuesday night in Montreal was the clearest expression of that connection his farewell season has produced so far.
What Makes Monfils So Special at the Canadian Open
Beyond the records and the emotional moments, Tuesday night’s victory added another entry to one of the most remarkable statistical profiles any player has built at Masters 1000 level without winning the ultimate prize.
Gael Monfils has recorded 146 wins at the ATP Masters 1000 level across his career, the most victories by any man in the history of the tour without a single Masters 1000 title. That statistic captures both the extraordinary quality of his career and the cruel nature of a sport that ultimately measures everything by the biggest titles won.
Monfils Masters 1000 career at a glance:
| Stat | Detail |
| Total Masters 1000 wins | 146, most without a title |
| Canadian Open wins | 25, ninth most in Open Era |
| Canadian Open record | 25-13 across 15 appearances |
| Best Masters 1000 result | Multiple finals, no title |
| Career high ranking | World No. 6 |
| Grand Slam titles | 0 |
| ATP titles total | 12 |
| Last ATP title | Auckland 2025, oldest ATP champion since 1990 |
The Auckland context:
Only last year, at age 38, Monfils became the oldest ATP Tour champion since 1990 by winning the title in Auckland. That result, celebrated worldwide as one of the most heartwarming stories of the 2025 tennis season, demonstrated that his capacity for memorable performances had not diminished even as his farewell season approached.
Now in Montreal, in his final appearance at one of the tournaments he has loved most across his career, he has added another milestone to a collection that reflects a player who has given professional tennis far more than any trophy count can measure.
Next Up – Learner Tien in Round 2
Gael Monfils faces No. 12 seed Learner Tien in the second round of the 2026 Canadian Open, a significantly tougher test than the one he passed on Tuesday night.
Tien is a 20-year-old American rising rapidly through the ATP rankings who arrives in Montreal as one of the most dangerous players in the bottom half of the draw. His powerful baseline game and aggressive serving make him a genuine threat on outdoor hard courts and his youth and freshness give him a physical advantage over a 39-year-old playing his second match in consecutive days.
Second round matchup preview:
| Factor | Monfils | Tien |
| Age | 39 years old | 20 years old |
| Seeding | Wildcard | No. 12 seed |
| 2026 record | 4-7 after Tuesday win | Strong season record |
| Surface form | Historically strong in Montreal | Hard court specialist |
| Head to head | First ever meeting | First ever meeting |
| Crowd support | Enormous Montreal home support | Away crowd |
Can Monfils cause an upset?
On paper Tien is the clear favourite. But Monfils has spent his entire career defying what looks likely on paper. His connection with the Montreal crowd gives him an energy source that younger players competing in front of neutral audiences simply do not have access to.
A Monfils victory over a seeded opponent in the second round of his farewell Canadian Open appearance would be one of the most celebrated results of the entire 2026 tournament. The crowd that stayed until midnight on Tuesday will return in even greater numbers to watch him try.
FAQs
Conclusion
Gael Monfils arrived in Montreal for the 15th and final time as a professional tennis player, ranked outside the top 100, carrying a 3-7 record for the season, and competing on a wildcard. He left Tuesday night with a victory, a historic record, and a crowd that stayed until midnight to cheer every point he won. That is Gael Monfils. That has always been Gael Monfils.
One hundred and forty six Masters 1000 wins without a title. Two Montreal semifinals. Fifteen Canadian Open appearances. A farewell season that keeps producing moments worthy of the career it is closing. And a connection with tennis crowds, particularly this one in Montreal, that no ranking or trophy count has ever been able to measure accurately.
The second round against Learner Tien awaits. The crowd will be back. And Gael Monfils, at 39 years old and 335 days, will give everything he has one more time.
To follow his second round match and every other result at the 2026 Canadian Open, explore our complete Canadian Open results page for live scores and match updates from both Montreal and Toronto.
