The pragmatic pro in Gael Monfils would like to have finished off his first-round win in straight sets against up-and-coming

The 38-year-old Monfils used his experience and guile to top 21-year-old Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in five sets.

The pragmatic pro in Gael Monfils would like to have finished off his first-round win in straight sets against up-and-coming fellow Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard at the Australian Open. The entertainer's instinct in him got a lot of value out of clinching it in five.

By Nick Mulvenney MELBOURNE (Reuters) -Experience triumphed over potential as Gael Monfils edged Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard 7-6(7) 6-3 6-7(6) 7-6(5) 6-4 in an all-French thriller in the first round of the Australian Open on Tuesday.