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Gael Monfils and Alexandr Dolgopolov will square off in an anticipated showdown in the Monte Carlo second round, surely one of the most interesting matches so far in the tournament.
I watched Monfils yesterday against Kuznetsov and I have to say that Gael played a really poor match and in all honesty he should have lost. The frenchman got the win only because of his superior experience, with Kuznetsov getting tight in the closing stages of the third set. Monfils was very tentative, error prone and did not seem to be moving well – being easily forced out of position by Kuznetsov. Id doesn`t look like he`s at full fitness following his retirement in Miami.
Dolgopolov is finally regaining his rhythm, closing in to his best level of tennis – which he did not show in a very long time. The talented Ukrainean steadily improved over the course of this year and played his best tournament two weeks ago in Miami, reaching the 4th round and almost beating Djokovic. He led by a set and 4-1 in the second set, but Djokovic broke him down mentally to recover, winning 12 of the last 13 matches. Alexandr defeated Borna Coric in the first round at Monte Carlo, 7-5 5-7 6-2.
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Gael Monfils leads the Head 2 Head 2-0, but you really can`t put too much emphasys on the Head 2 Head – not when you consider that Dolgopolov was at his best level for very short stretches of his career. It will be the first meeting on clay, a surface that suits both players in the same degree.
Listen, Monfils has been in fine form this season (not lights out, but playing pretty well) and he`s clearly the more consistent player. However, Dolgopolov has the momentum, as he`s playing his best tennis in years and had a good match in the first round with the dangerous Coric. With question marks over Monfils’ fitness, Dolgopolov could have the edge here.
Gael was dominated by Kuznetsov’s offensive game, and Dolgopolov has much more offense than the Russian. Monfils can not stay in the game against Dolgopolov if he will move as slow as he did yesterday, when he basically allowed Kuznetsov to force him out of position with single shots (not combinations). It will be a close one, but I can see the Ukrainean having the edge, so at these odds it`s a no brainer picking him to succeed. My tip is Dolgopolov to win. Prediction: Gael Monfils – Alexandr Dolgopolov 6-3 5-7 2-6.
Live streaming for G. Monfils vs. A. Dolgopolov available for players at Bet365.com.
Pick: Dolgopolov
Odds: 2.44 @ Pinnacle
Stake: 7
Possible profit: 10.08
Event date: 15 April
