Ageless Mannarino overcomes Gea to reach Montpellier semi-final

World No. 70 Adrian Mannarino continued his remarkable resurgence at the Open Occitanie on Friday, securing a hard-fought 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 victory over 21-year-old wild card Arthur Gea. The 37-year-old Frenchman showed immense resilience to overturn a set deficit against Gea, who reached the quarter-finals following the retirements of No 3 seed Tomas Machac and Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard.

This victory marks a significant milestone for the veteran, who reaches his 26th career ATP Tour semi-final and his first since Dallas in February 2024.

The oldest semi-finalist in Montpellier

By advancing to the final four, Mannarino becomes the oldest semi-finalist in the history of the Montpellier tournament, surpassing Paul-Henri Mathieu, who was 34 when he reached the stage in 2016. It also represents only his third semi-final on home soil, following deep runs in Metz in 2008 and Nice in 2016.

Mannarino’s path to the semi-finals has been defined by grit; he famously saved three match points to defeat No 5 seed Ugo Humbert 6-7 (4), 6-3, 7-6 (4) in the second round after an opening-round win over Pedro Martinez Portero 7-6 (3), 6-1.

“I was lucky to get through that match against Ugo, and today was another physical battle,” Mannarino noted after his win over Gea. He will now face either American qualifier Martin Damm or Italy’s Luca Nardi for a place in the final.