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Video: Gael Monfils falls down, but still hits a winner against John Isner

NEW YORK -- It was a curious scene on Louis Armstrong Stadium on Thursday night, as the majority of the U.S. Open crowd seemed to back Frenchman Gael Monfils
Courtney Nguyen|

NEW YORK -- It was a curious scene on Louis Armstrong Stadium on Thursday night, as the majority of the U.S. Open crowd seemed to back Frenchman Gael Monfils against America's No. 1 men's player, John Isner. But then you see shots like this and it's easy to understand why the crowd wanted to see more of Monfils' crazy game.

The high-flying Monfils, who can, at times, seem more content entertaining the crowd than actually doing what he needs to do to win matches, hit this falling-down winner early in the match. Which was more impressive: That Monfils hit a winner while hitting the deck? Or that Monfils successfully lobbed the 6 foot 10 Isner?

That was just one of many acrobatic shots he hit during the match. Here he is scrambling around the court in a fine display of improvisation and athleticism to beat Isner with a backhand pass:

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Courtney Nguyen
COURTNEY NGUYEN

Contributor, SI.com Nguyen is a freelance writer for SI.com, providing full coverage of professional tennis both on and off the court. Her content has become a must-read for fans and insiders to stay up-to-date with a sport that rarely rests. She has appeared on radio and TV talk shows all over the world and is one of the co-hosts of No Challenges Remaining, a weekly podcast available on iTunes. Nguyen graduated from the University of California, Irvine in 1999 and received a law degree from the University of California, Davis in 2002. She lives in the Bay Area.

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