From a quality of tennis standpoint, you never know what you are going to get from Gael Monfils on any given day. The same cannot be said of his entertainment factor.
It will undoubtedly the most entertaining match on Saturday’s U.S. Open schedule when Monfils and Jannik Sinner battle for a place in the second week. It will also break a 1-1 tie in the head-to-head series; Sinner rolled 6-3, 6-2 at the 2019 Antwerp event before Monfils got revenge 6-3, 7-6(8) immediately thereafter in Vienna–both during the fall indoor hard-court swing.
Although this is a tale of two players at different ends of the career spectrum, Monfils is not quite done just yet. The 34-year-old Frenchman appeared to be finished mentally during the Covid-19 pandemic, but the return of fans has reinvigorated him and has him putting on a show like old times whenever he takes the court. In turn, wins have been coming. Monfils reached the quarterfinals in Toronto and the third round in Cincinnati, and so far in New York he has dismissed Federico Coria and Steve Johnson while dropping only one set.
Sinner endured a brief slump this summer, but he dug out of it with the biggest title of his career in Washington, D.C. The 20-year-old Italian is up to No. 16 in the world (passing Monfils at No. 20) and poised to climb higher now that he has his first-ever U.S. Open victories under his belt (over Max Purcell and Zachary Svajda, both in four sets).
In a showdown between two wildly talented players, this one could come down to mental toughness. It is true that Monfils plays better when the stage gets bigger, but at the same time he can get caught up in the spectacle. Sinner’s no-nonsense approach–plus his huge hitting–may be the difference in the pressure-packed moments.
Pick: Sinner in 4
WWW?
Are you entertained?…Yes…we will be!
Sinner in 4.