NEW YORK – Five thoughts from Day 9 at the 2016 U.S. Open.
• We all love Gael Monfils. But, at the wizened age of 30, he is marrying style with substance, sizzle with entrecote. Tennis’ lovable showman reached his first U.S. Open semifinal on Tuesday with a straightforward win over countryman Lucas Pouille, who was clearly still depleted from his win Sunday over Rafael Nadal. “Straightforward” is seldom used in conjunction with this guy, tennis’ Meadowlark Lemon for so long. But this summer Monfils has been businesslike—while keeping his artistic license—and the results have been a joy to behold.