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Match Details
Fixture: (PR) Gael Monfils vs (Q) Pavel Kotov
Date: October 22, 2023
Tournament: Stockholm Open 2023
Round: Final
Venue: Stockholm, Sweden
Category: ATP 250
Surface: Hard (indoor)
Prize money: €673,630
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | Canada - TSN
Gael Monfils vs Pavel Kotov preview
Gael Monfils will face off against qualifier Pavel Kotov in the final of the 2023 Stockholm Open on Sunday (October 22).
Monfils kicked off his campaign here with wins over Marton Fucosvics, Filip Misolic and Adrian Mannarino to reach the semifinals. He then took on Laslo Djere for a spot in the title round.
Monfils made a fast start to jump to a 4-0 lead in the first set. Djere closed the gap by bagging the next three games. The Frenchman then held a set point on his opponent's serve at 5-3, but couldn't close it out.
Monfils was unable to serve out the set at 5-4 either as Djere broke back to level the score. However, the former struck back as he won the next couple of games to take the set.
Monfils built a 4-0 lead in the second set as well, and didn't surrender his advantage this time around. He won the match 7-5, 6-2 to reach his first final of the season.
Kotov, meanwhile, came through the qualifiers and then defeated Christopher Eubanks, Lorenzo Sonego and Tallon Griekspoor. He faced off against Miomir Kecmanovic in the semifinals.
Kotov maintained an iron grip on the proceedings and remained in charge of it right from the first point. He secured a single break of serve in each set to win the match 6-3, 6-4 and advance to his maiden ATP final.
Gael Monfils vs Pavel Kotov head-to-head
This will be the first meeting between them, so the head-to-head stands at 0-0 for now.
Gael Monfils vs Pavel Kotov odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Gael Monfils vs Pavel Kotov prediction
Monfils played quite a solid match despite a few hiccups against Djere. With the win, his streak of reaching a final every year since 2005 remained intact. He won 83% of his first-serve points and fired 16 winners in all in the previous round.
Kotov didn't show any signs of nerves as he dispatched Kecmanovic to reach his first ATP final. That sort of mental strength will be needed when he takes on a veteran like Monfils in the championship round.
Monfils shows no signs of slowing down even at the age of 37, keeping pace with and at times even outrunning his younger opponents. The Frenchman's footwork and court coverage remains one of his core strengths. His serve and shotmaking are quite good too.
Pavel's won plenty of matches this week to get to this stage. He's playing better than before and can do some heavy damage with his backhand. Monfils does give away the match at times by playing a loose game here and there, but should be able to down his younger and inexperienced opponent to win the title.
Pick: Gael Monfils to win in straight sets.
