Gael Monfils, the top seed in Adelaide, will take on American Tommy Paul in the quarterfinals on Friday afternoon. Meanwhile, Grigor Dimitrov and Botic Van de Zandschulp are doing battle in the Melbourne quarters.
(1) Gael Monfils vs. (6) Tommy Paul
French veteran Gael Monfils had an odd 2021 season. Prior to the North American hard-court swing in late summer, the world No. 21 could not manage to string two tour wins in a row. It was a shocking run of poor form that began in 2020. Monfils notably left the 2021 edition of the Aussie Open in tears after his first-round ouster at the hands of Emil Ruusuvuori.
“I don’t feel well and you can see it,” he said in tears after the match. “I know I’ve lost a lot and it hurts. The worst thing is that I’m working like a dog, but it’s not working.”
Things are looking up for Monfils now, though. Following his dry spell, he went to the Toronto Masters and made the quarters; he has been largely back to his usual self ever since. He shellacked Juan Manuel Cerundulo in the second round of Adelaide on Thursday, earning a spot against American Tommy Paul in the quarters on Friday.
While Paul hasn’t always been a daunting opponent, the American had a resurgence of his own last year. He made a decent run at Indian Wells,and came somewhat out of nowhere to win the indoor event in Stockholm to cap off his season.
Paul hasn’t been at his best this week, dropping a set to both Jiri Vesely and Taro Daniel; but he has played enough to shake off the rust and should be ready to go on Friday. This one will likely go the distance, with Monfils squeaking out a win.
Cheryl pick: Monfils in 3
Ricky pick: Paul in 3
Botic Van de Zandschulp vs. (3) Grigor Dimitrov
It would be understating the case to say that Botic Van de Zandschulp shocked the players in his section of the draw at last year’s U.S. Open. The Dutchman went into the event ranked 117th in the world. After earning his spot through three qualifying rounds, he made his way all the way to the quarterfinals. He took out the likes of Casper Ruud and Diego Schwartzman before finally running into eventual champion Daniil Medvedev (from whom he took a set, something no one else did in the entire tournament).
Van de Zandschulp finished out his 2021 season qualifying for and then getting to the final of St. Petersburg. He has straight-set wins over Adrian Mannarino and Mackenzie MacDonald so far this week.
No. 3 seed Grigor Dimitrov is finally making his way back to form after a few years of underperforming. The Bulgarian produced a pair of semifinal showings in San Diego and Indian Wells following his second-round ouster at the U.S. Open in 2021.
He comes into this match off a tough battle against Argentine Facundo Bagnis, in which he pocketed a 5-7, 7-6(3), 6-3 win. With Dimitrov still shaking off some rust and Van de Zandschulp continuing his excellent form from the end of the 2021 season, this one may also go the distance. The edge goes to Van de Zandschulp based on recent form.
Cheryl pick: Van de Zandschulp in 3
Ricky pick: Van de Zandschulp in 3
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