Both Jurgen Melzer and Gael Monfils will head into New York for the season’s final Grand Slam with plenty of momentum from Winston-Salem. Only one, however, will capture his fifth ATP title on Saturday.
Jurgen Melzer and Gael Monfils will be squaring off for the fifth time in their careers and for the second time this season when they battle for the Winston-Salem Open title on Saturday afternoon.
Monfils is dominating the head-to-head series by a perfect 4-0 score, but they have never faced each other on a hard court. The Frenchman prevailed on the grass of Queen’s Club in 2006 before a trio of clay-court victories–most recently a 6-3, 6-3 decision in Munich.
Melzer, though, is playing like he is poised to turn the tide. Perhaps inspired by new coach Galo Blanco, the 32nd-ranked Austrian booked his spot in the final with defeats of Thiemo De Bakker, Benoit Paire, Dimitry Tursunov, and Sam Querrey. Melzer has finally evened his 2012 record at 21-21, which features a quarterfinal performance in Miami and a fourth-round finish at Wimbledon.
Monfils, as always, is managing to keep things interesting; to say the least. Two of his four Winston-Salem wins have come in three sets–over Tommy Robredo and Fernando Verdasco in between scalps of Guido Pella and Alexandr Dolgopolov. Against Dolgopolov on Friday, the world No. 43 trailed 4-0 in the first set before storming back to advance 7-6(9), 6-4.
Their past history is alarming for Melzer, but he is showcasing some stellar tennis this week. Monfils, admittedly, has not been particularly pleased with his performances aside from his third-rounder against Robredo. He also cannot feel good about his record in finals, which stands at a shocking 4-14. Melzer is also seeking his fifth title, for him in his 13th final appearance. Furthermore, five hard-court matches in one week may be too much for Monfils against an in-form opponent.
Pick: Melzer in 3
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Ricky got both SF winners right. Bravo.
Go with his pick for the final. Melzer has looked good this week although he wobbled a bit in the second set against Querrey. Melzer is another in those late bloomers who didn’t get into their stride until, in theory, they were past their peak.
thanks.
and agreed.