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Match Details
Fixture: (9) Casper Ruud vs Gael Monfils
Date: March 13, 2024
Tournament: BNP Paribas Open
Round: Fourth Round (Round of 16)
Venue: Indian Wells Tennis Garden, California, US
Category: ATP Masters 1000
Surface: Outdoor hardcourt
Prize Money: $8,995,555
Live Telecast: USA - Tennis Channel/TC Plus | UK - Sky Sports | Canada - TSN
Casper Ruud vs Gael Monfils preview
Ninth seed Casper Ruud will take on Gael Monfils in the fourth round of the 2024 BNP Paribas Open on Wednesday.
Ruud defeated Lukas Klein 6-4, 7-6 (4) to reach the third round here, where he was up against Arthur Fils. The Norwegian was dialed in right from the start as he quickly jumped to a 5-1 lead in the first set.
Ruud didn't let his good headstart to go waste and claimed the set soon after that. Fils put up a better performance in the next set but still played second fiddle to his opponent. The World No. 9 nabbed the decisive break in the seventh game to go 4-3 up and held on to the lead for a 6-2, 6-4 win.
Monfils commenced his campaign with a routine win over Max Purcell, after which he eliminated eighth seed Hubert Hurkacz with a 6-0, 6-7 (5), 6-2 win. He faced 28th seed and former Indian Wells champion Cameron Norrie in the third round.
Norrie led by a break twice in the first set and even served for it at 6-5 but Monfils broke back to keep himself in contention. Nevertheless, the Brit got the job done in the tie-break to take a one-set lead.
Monfils overcame a 3-0 deficit in the second set and captured the set in the eventual tie-break to level the proceedings. The two went toe-to-toe for most of the third set. The Frenchman broke the impasse as he bagged the last three games of the match to register a 6-7 (5), 7-6 (5), 6-3 comeback win.
Casper Ruud vs Gael Monfils head-to-head
Monfils leads Ruud 1-0 in the head-to-head. He won their previous encounter at the 2018 Ecuador Open in three sets.
Casper Ruud vs Gael Monfils odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Casper Ruud vs Gael Monfils prediction
Monfils continues his renaissance with another impressive and hard-fought win, this time over Norrie. While he did struggle a bit on serve, he did manage to save 18 of the 21 break points that he faced.
Ruud was pretty dominant against Fils as he dictated the play for most of the match. He cruised through his service games as he didn't face a single break point, which put his opponent under more pressure. He was pretty solid from the baseline as well.
Monfils will present a different challenge for Ruud. The Frenchman's athleticism remains sharp as ever and he's even able to outplay his younger rivals with his speed. The Norwegian has played quite well this season, so while he'll be favored to triumph in this match, it won't be as easy as his previous wins.
Pick: Casper Ruud to win in three sets.
