The top-section quarterfinal at the BNP Paribas Open quarterfinal was probably expected to be Novak Djokovic against either Borna Coric or Nikoloz Basilashvili–Djokovic for obvious reasons and Coric or Basilashvili because Dominic Thiem (aside from his 2018 U.S. Open quarterfinal run) has been borderline hopeless on hard courts.
Alas, the end result is Thiem vs. Gael Monfils for the fifth time in their careers on Thursday night.
Monfils caught a massive break when he shockingly went up against Philipp Kohlschreiber instead of Djokovic during fourth-round action on Wednesday (Kohlschreiber upset the world No. 1 the previous day). The 32-year-old Frenchman is 0-15 lifetime against Djokovic, but he was 13-2 at the German’s expense–and now 14-2 after rolling 6-0, 6-2 in a mere 57 minutes. Now, though, Monfils is faced with a tough matchup; he is 0-4 against Thiem with two losses on clay and two on hard courts (including via a 6-3, 6-2 blowout in the Indian Wells fourth round two years ago).
On paper, things should be much different this time around. Monfils is healthy and looking extremely motivated, which has given him a 15-3 record in 2019 that includes arguably the biggest title of his career in Rotterdam. The world No. 19 has advanced so far this fortnight by ousting Leonardo Mayer, Albert Ramos-Vinolas, and Kohlschreiber.
Thiem, on the other hand, had been struggling this season. He even underwhelmed on his clay-court stomping grounds, slumping through a Golden Swing with losses to Diego Schwartzman in the Buenos Aires semifinals and to eventual champion Laslo Djere in the Rio de Janeiro first round. Thiem dealt with a neck issue during the setback against Djere, but he his healthy and well-rested now and it has paid of in the form of routine Indian Wells victories over Jordan Thompson, Gilles Simon, and Ivo Karlovic.
“I have so much respect from him because he’s 40, still competing in the world class,” Thiem said of Karlovic after taking down the 6’11” Croat 6-4, 6-3 on Wednesday. “I was curious how it’s going to be; (it) was the first match against him on the tour. I made two breaks in the right moment…. I felt pretty confident on my own service games. That’s what I transferred also to the return games.
“The previous days here in Indian Wells helped me a lot to get back to my top level physically and also to play good tennis again. It was 11 days of good practice. That’s where I got my good feeling and my good tennis and also the good physical health back.”
He may need all of that and more against a blazing-hot Monfils. Conditions are not bad for the eighth-ranked Austrian, but at this point it is hard to see him beating Monfils on anything other than clay.
Pick: Monfils in 2
[polldaddy poll=10264458]
This should be a good match. Heart says Monfils, gut says Thiem, but I’m going with Monfils in 3.
Is there a walkover for Thiem? I think Monfils withdraws! Is he injured again?
There is and he is, alas.
Achilles