First-round action in Stuttgart continues on Tuesday, when Alex Michelsen and Gael Monfils do battle in a marquee matchup. Wild card Fabio Fognini kicks off his campaign with what could be a feisty affair against Corentin Moutet.
(7) Alex Michelsen vs. Gael Monfils
Michelsen and Monfils will be going head-to-head for the first time in their careers when they clash in round one of the BOSS Open on Tuesday. Monfils is coming off an encouraging French Open performance in which he won an epic five-setter over Hugo Dellien and then lost to Jack Draper in four entertaining sets. The 38-year-old Frenchman now takes his talents to grass, on which he owns a 52-33 lifetime record.
Eighteen years Monfils’ junior, Michelsen comes in with a solid 15-10 grass-court record. Although the 35th-ranked American won the Estoril Challenger last month, his European clay-court swing was otherwise terrible. This could be the best match of the entire opening round in Stuttgart, but a slight edge may go to Monfils since he is well rested with plenty of time off since the French Open and is presumably 100 percent from a physical standpoint.
Pick: Monfils in 3
(WC) Fabio Fognini vs. Corentin Moutet
Surprisingly, Moutet and Fognini will also be squaring off for the first time in their careers. It should be a fun one between two combustible characters, but right now it is Moutet who is the more composed of the two. The 26-year-old Frenchman has won nine tour-level matches in 2025, most recently advancing to the Rome fourth round (beat Holger Rune before falling to Draper in three sets) and the Roland Garros second round (lost to Novak Djokovic).
Fognini has won exactly zero tour-level matches in 2025 as his career winds down. The 38-year-old Italian has barely won any matches of any kind this season and he hasn’t picked up an ATP main-draw victory since the Shanghai Masters last September. It is true that Fognini is a bit more experience on grass than Moutet, but that hardly offsets all of the left-hander’s advantages.
Pick: Moutet in 2
WWW?
Monfils in three , Moutet in two
Actually Ill change that to Moutet in 3, one set to be decided by histrionics
To give you some idea, in one match Moutet refused to play on until someone brought him a coffee
a cup of coffee…is that true?!!….Michelson in 3; Starbucks lover in 2.
I think someone eventually got him one.
I searched ‘Moutet coffee ‘ on Youtube, lots of funny clips of him.
Simona Halep did the same in D.C. 250 tourney. I heard her live telling the umpire, “where’s my coffee, i need my coffee” She went on to tank the match 2-6, 3-6 or something.
I had the same predictions, but none of them came true exactly.