Adrian Mannarino and Gael Monfils will be squaring off for the seventh time in their careers when they battle for a semifinal spot at the Nordic Open on Friday evening. Monfils has won four of their six previous meetings, including three in a row and the last two on indoor hard courts.
However, the two Frenchman have not faced each other since 2021 and now it is Mannarino who has a massive edge in current form. The left-hander has won 39 matches on the main tour this year to go along with two of his four career ATP titles. He has already triumphed once during this indoor hard-court swing in Astana. Maintaining his stellar level of player, Mannarino cruised past a red-hot Roman Safiullin 6-4, 6-4 in the Stockholm second round.
“It’s going to be a really tough one,” Monfils assured. “Adrian is in great form, his best season. He has a tricky game. I will have to play my game (and) try to be 100 percent physically to have a strong, physical battle.”
Monfils has posted wins this week over Marton Fucsovics and Filip Misolic, but overall it has been a difficult 2023 campaign for the 37-year-old. Physical problems have continued to plague Monfils, who is always a question mark every single time he takes the court.
Mannarino is the much more reliable player and he will likely wear down his countryman by getting ball after ball back in play.
Pick: Mannarino in 2
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WWW?
Monfils miracle, in 3
nice call
Mannarino is weak
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