Frances “Big Foe” Tiafoe has defeated Gael “La Monf” Monfils 5-7, 6-1, 6-4 in the round of 16 at the Erste Bank Open in Vienna on Thursday, gaining revenge for his loss earlier in the year.

Last time the pair shared a court, it was at UTS Los Angeles by Builder.ai. La Monf came out victorious in that match en route to a Final Four run that weekend, winning 13-12, 13-11, 7-15, 10-9 in what was an incredibly tight opening match for both.

In Vienna, their clash was equally well-matched.

La Monf starts strong, Big Foe brings it home

It was a match where La Monf started the stronger of the two, winning the opening exchange 7-5 in Vienna.

The Frenchman saved all four break points he faced in the opening set, striking an impressive 22 winners and making just nine unforced errors. However, in the second set, a right calf issue began to hinder Monfils, significantly impacting his movement.

Unable to cover the court in the manner that we’re used to seeing the tireless 37-year-old do, La Monf quickly saw the second set disappear 6-1.

Not to give up without a fight, however, in the deciding set the veteran dug deep and regained his physicality. It was a high-quality contest, with Tiafoe bringing that Big Foe energy late in the piece to grab a crucial break of serving, holding on to close out the set 6-4 and move into his eighth quarter-final of 2023 on the ATP Tour.

La Monf will be back in action on the UTS courts next month in Seoul, from 1-3 December at the Goyang Gymnasium.