<p>LYON, France — Gael Monfils ended a 15-month victory drought by defeating lucky loser Thiago Seyboth Wild of Brazil 7-5, 6-4 Tuesday at the Lyon Open.</p>
<p>Less than two weeks before the French Open starts in Paris, the fifth-seeded Frenchman got a welcome boost after being slowed by injuries recently.</p>
<p>Monfils, who withdrew from the Monte Carlo Open with a calf injury and lost in the first round in Rome, finally kickstarted his clay-court season in Lyon. He hit seven aces and saved the seven break points he faced to reach the second round.</p>
<p>His previous win was in February 2020 in Dubai, before the coronavirus pandemic brought tennis to a halt.</p>
<p>Also, Lorenzo Musetti of Italy upset seventh-seeded Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada 7-6 (3), 3-6, 7-5.</p>
<p>“We played a really intense match, a real fight,” Musetti said. “I learned from the loss to Felix in Barcelona. It’s a good start and I hope to continue like that.”</p>
<hr />
<p>More AP tennis: <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/tennis">https://apnews.com/hub/tennis</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/AP_Sports">https://twitter.com/AP_Sports</a></p>
