TennisSection previews the 2022 Montpellier Open as Gael Monfils takes on Mikael Ymer in the second round on Thursday, February 3rd, 2022.
Three-time Montpellier Open champion Gael Monfils is aiming to maintain his red-hot start to the year, but could be susceptible to an upset when he takes on the fast-improving Mikael Ymer. Will he avoid it, or will the Swede punch his ticket into the quarterfinals?
Gael Monfils is one of the most decorated players at the Open Sud de France. Since the event shifted cities from Lyon to Montpellier in 2010, no player has won more titles than Monfils. The Frenchman is tied with compatriot Richard Gasquet on three titles, and one of them has the chance to steer himself clear in the trophy count at the 2022 Montpellier Open. For Monfils, the situation is less rocky. He is playing some of the best tennis of his life, which is in contrast to last season’s start. The 35-year-old won in Montpellier as recently as 2020, but did not return to defend his crown last year owing to that infamous shambolic run of form in 2021. Having received a bye in his opener, he will face Mikael Ymer in the second round.
Mikael Ymer continues to be the recipient of some unfavorable draws at tour-level tournaments. He faced Stefanos Tsitsipas right out of the gate at the Australian Open before losing in straight sets. Prior to that, he made a respectable quarterfinal run at the Adelaide International, picking up wins over the likes Benjamin Bonzi and Soonwoo Kwon. And Ymer’s luck did not change one bit at the Montpellier Open. He played a home favorite in Corentin Moutet in his first match, but defied the odds to take down the in-form French lefty, saving a whopping 10 out of 11 break points he faced.
Mikael Ymer leads Gael Monfils 1-0 in their head-to-head. That stonking win came at the 2021 French Open where the young Swede upstaged Monfils in front of his home crowd. But I do expect Monfils to turn the tables in this match. The three-time Montpellier Open champion left Australia without any blots in his game and should improve on his fantastic start to 2022.
Free Tennis Pick and Prediction: Gael Monfils in straight sets.
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