Through his first three tournaments of 2014, Gael Monfils had mastered every challenge that had faced him with the exception of world No. 1 Rafael Nadal.  Monfils had won all 12 of his matches against opponents other than the Spaniard, including a runner-up showing in Doha and a title last week in Montpellier.  At the Montpellier event, the Frenchman had defeated top-10 compatriot Richard Gasquet with ease in the final.

By contrast, significant concerns hovered over Juan Martin Del Potro early in the new season.  Although the Argentine also has won a title in 2014, at Sydney before the Australian Open, that triumph was outweighed by his second-round loss in Melbourne and the recurrence of a left wrist injury.  Expectations thus lay low for Del Potro this week in Rotterdam despite his status as the top seed and defending champion.  When he drew Monfils in the first round, moreover, murmurs of an upset mounted.

During the first set of this highly anticipated encounter, Del Potro produced the sort of tennis that one might expect from a player rusty after an injury and searching for confidence.  The world No. 4 dropped serve twice in the first set, committing four double faults, and probably counted himself fortunate to reach a tiebreak.  What kept him in that set was the dismal first-serve percentage of Monfils, dominant behind his first serve but pedestrian behind his second.  Able to break the Frenchman twice as well, Del Potro finally eked out the first set in a 16-point tiebreak.

Not always known for his resilience, Monfils did not capitulate easily in the second set.  In fact, he elevated his first-serve percentage dramatically in that set and faced only one break point while earning two on Del Potro's serve.  The difference lay in the Argentine's superior ability to exploit his opportunities, for he converted his only chance and denied Monfils both of his.  In general, Del Potro produced much more convincing tennis during the second set than the first.  He eliminated the double faults entirely and lost only seven points in five service games.

The 7-6(6) 6-3 victory allowed Del Potro to fight another day in his title defense at Rotterdam.  As important as the title defense, however, is the opportunity that the tournament allows him to accumulate live match play ahead of the crucial Masters 1000 hard-court tournaments in March.  Monfils should not feel overly deflated, though.  His competitive effort against Del Potro confirmed that the 2014 version of the Frenchman can stand toe to toe with the ATP elite, only a handful of points separating them despite the gap in rankings.