On paper, Alexander Bublik vs. Gael Monfils is definitely the most entertaining matchup of the entire Citi Open second round.
Of course, you have absolutely no idea what you are going to get from either player on any given day and their most recent encounter was a snooze-fest. At the 2022 Australian Open, Monfils coasted 6-1, 6-0, 6-4. The head-to-head series is tied up at 1-1, as Bublik won their first meeting 6-4, 7-5, 3-6, 6-3 at the 2020 French Open.
Monfils’ latest comeback to tennis included a miracle five-set win over Sebastian Baez at Roland Garros, but the 36-year-old Frenchman withdrew from his next match against Holger Rune because of a wrist injury. He missed the grass-court swing and then returned last week in Atlanta, losing to Thanasi Kokkinakis in a third-set tiebreaker. Monfils got back in the win column on Monday night in Washington, D.C., dismissing Bjorn Fratangelo 6-3, 6-4.
Although Bublik is just 16-20 this season, he has raised his level of late and will be seeded at the U.S. Open with a current ranking of No. 25 in the world. The Kazakh is coming off a title in Halle (beat Andrey Rublev in the final) and a fourth-round performance at Wimbledon (lost to Rublev in five sets).
This will likely be a roller-coaster ride, but conditions will be conducive to Bublik’s big serve and that weapon will likely be the difference in allowing him to win free points at pressure moments.
Pick: Bublik in 3
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