JOHANNESBURG — Anyone doubting the skills and entertainment value of 23-year-old French tennis virtuoso Gael Monfils would certainly have been reassured about the magnetic appeal of next year’s South African Open drawcard. He he barely went down in a three-set thriller to the world number three Novak Djokovic in the weekend’s Paris Masters final.

Although Monfils eventually lost 6-2 5-7 7-6 in a see-sawing, absorbing game of infinite quality and inventive stroke play, reaching the final of the Masters tournament elevated the charismatic Frenchman’s world ranking from 16th to 13th, and provided ample evidence of even bigger things to come in 2010.

Apart from the classic against Djokovic, Monfils also demonstrated his mettle while beating Julien Benneteau, the conqueror of Roger Federer in the Paris event, the world’s 14th-ranked Marin Cilic and 12th-ranked Radek Stepanek, while captivating his army of Parisienne supporters in the process.

And it all augured well for the South African Open, which will be held at the Montecasino Entertainment resort from February 1 to February 7, with bookings for the tournament due to open at Computicket outlets tomorrow. Admission ranges from as little as R25 on the two opening days to R150 on semi-final day and R200 for the final. “When one compares these prices with those of tickets for some of the other major international sporting events in South Africa,” said Ian Smith, South African Tennis Association CEO and the Open’s tournament director, “especially with some of the world’s best players in action … the admission prices are more than reasonable.”