Paris Masters 2023: Gael Monfils vs Francisco Cerundolo preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds, and pick

Match Details

Fixture: Gael Monfils vs Francisco Cerundolo

Date: October 31, 2023

Tournament: Paris Masters 2023

Round: First round (Round of 56)

Venue: Accor Arena, Paris, France

Category: ATP Masters 1000

Surface: Hard (Indoor)

Prize money: €5,779,335

Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | Canada - TSN | UK - Amazon Prime

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Gael Monfils vs Francisco Cerundolo preview

Gael Monfils at the 2023 Canadian Open.

Home favorite Gael Monfils will take on Francisco Cerundolo in the first round of the 2023 Paris Masters.

Monfils returned to action following an injury hiatus in March but didn't win a match until the French Open. Unfortunately, following his first-round win, he had to withdraw from the tournament due to another injury. He skipped Wimbledon and headed straight to Atlanta to compete on hardcourts.

While Monfils lost in the first round there, he performed better in the coming weeks. He made it to the third round in Washington and Cincinnati, along with a quarterfinal finish at the Canadian Open. Despite having some momentum, the Frenchman lost in the second round of the US Open.

Monfils then participated in the Stockholm Open and made it to the final. He thus kept his streak of reaching a final every year since 2005 intact. He defeated Pavel Kotov to win his 12th career title. He lost to Frances Tiafoe in the second round of the Erste Bank Open in Vienna after that.

Cerundolo's best result at the Majors this year was a fourth round appearance at the French Open. He reached a couple of quarterfinals at the Masters level as well, doing so in Miami and Rome. He also recorded last eight finishes in Cordoba, Buenos Aires, and Barcelona.

Cerundolo reached his first final of the season at the Lyon Open, but he lost to Arthur Fils. He advanced to his second final of the year at the Eastbourne International and downed Tommy Paul in three sets to emerge victorious.

Following a fourth round exit from the Shanghai Masters, Cerundolo failed to win a match in Tokyo and Vienna. He's now on a three-match losing streak and will arrive in Paris seeking his first win at the venue.

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Gael Monfils vs Francisco Cerundolo head-to-head

Cerundolo leads Monfils 1-0 in the head-to-head. He won their previous encounter at the 2022 Miami Open in straight sets.

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Gael Monfils vs Francisco Cerundolo odds

Player	Moneyline	Handicap Bets	Total Games
Gael Monfils	-250	+1.5 (-650)	Over 21.5 (-130)
Francisco Cerundolo	+180	-1.5 (+360)	Under 21.5 (-110)

(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)

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Gael Monfils vs Francisco Cerundolo prediction

Francisco Cerundolo at the 2023 Canadian Open.

Following a good run in Shanghai, Cerundolo's form has dipped a bit. Despite an early exit from Vienna, Monfils will be feeling confident following his title-winning run in Stockholm.

Monfils is a two-time finalist at the venue and reached consecutive finals in 2009 and 2010. He reached the third round and the quarterfinals in his last two appearances here, which were in 2021 and 2019, respectively. Cerundolo, meanwhile, lost in the first round upon his debut here last year.

Cerundolo is quite comfortable grinding it out in lengthy baseline duels, as well as playing a bit aggressively when the opportunity presents itself. Monfils' game has remained quite solid in all aspects.

From his shotmaking to serve, even his court coverage, Monfils has the weapons to go toe-to-toe with the next generation. The Frenchman is quite comfortable competing in indoor conditions and will have an edge in his contest against Cerundolo.

Pick: Gael Monfils to win in three sets.