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Match details
Fixture: (3) Gael Monfils vs Mikael Ymer
Date: 3 February 2022
Tournament: Open Sud de France
Round: Second round (Round of 16)
Venue: Montpellier, France
Category: ATP 250
Surface: Indoor Hardcourt
Prize money: $547,208
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video | India - Discovery+ App
Gael Monfils vs Mikael Ymer preview
Third seed Gael Monfils will square off against Sweden's Mikael Ymer in the second round of the Open Sud de France on Thursday.
Monfils has made a brilliant start to the season, winning his first title in almost two years at Adelaide International 1 without dropping a set. At the Australian Open, he reached the quarterfinals, where he lost to Matteo Berrettini in a five-set thriller.
At the Open Sud de France, the World No. 16 is back at one of his favorite hunting grounds. He is a three-time champion at the event, winning in 2010, 2014 and 2020, and has been a finalist on two other occasions.
Mikael Ymer, meanwhile, defeated home favorite Corentin Moutet 7-6(5), 6-4 to begin his campaign in Montpellier on a winning note. The Swede was on the backfoot in the opening set, trailing 2-4 before leveling the proceedings. He found himself 2-5 behind in the tie-break as well, but won five points in a row to clinch the set. The 23-year-old played much better in the second set to seal the match.
Ymer started the year by reaching the quarterfinals of the Adelaide International, before losing in the first round of the Australian Open to Stefanos Tsitsipas. He has rebounded nicely with a win in Montpellier and will look to gain momentum once again.
Gael Monfils vs Mikael Ymer head-to-head
The two have played just once before, with Ymer leading 1-0 in the head-to-head. He won their only encounter 6-0, 2-6, 6-4, 6-3 in the opening round of the 2021 French Open.
Gael Monfils vs Mikeal Ymer prediction
Monfils holds the edge over his Swedish opponent given their recent form. Ymer did manage to defeat Monfils last year, but that was when the Frenchman was going through a rough patch. Monfils is back to his best now, so it might be a different story this time around.
Monfils' athleticism hasn't diminished over the years and with experience, he has become wiser. But Ymer's court coverage is also excellent and will pose a challenge to the Frenchman. The Swede has a balanced game and is capable of switching briskly from defense to offense when the need arises.
Monfils has improved his serve of late and his shotmaking remains as impeccable as ever. Ymer has the game to make it a competitive contest, but he lacks a real weapon to hit through Monfils. Expect the Frenchman to level their rivalry with a win on Thursday.
Prediction: Gael Monfils to win in straight sets.
