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Match details
Fixture: (17) Gael Monfils vs Alexander Bublik
Date: 19 January 2022
Tournament: Australian Open 2022
Round: Second round (Round of 64)
Venue: Melbourne, Australia
Category: Grand Slam
Surface: Outdoor Hardcourt
Prize money: $75,000,000
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Eurosport | India - Sony Six, Sony Liv
Gael Monfils vs Alexander Bublik preview
17th seed Gael Monfils will square off against Alexander Bublik in the second round of the 2022 Australian Open on Wednesday. The match promises to be a feast for the eyes, given the expansive tennis Monfils and Bublik play.
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The Frenchman cruised past Federico Coria 6-1, 6-1, 6-3 in 95 minutes in his first-round match on Monday. This was Monfils' fifth win out of six matches in 2022, continuing his ascendency after a poor 2021.
The 35-year-old played positive tennis against Coria, taking the initiative in most rallies either with his big first serve or penetrating groundstrokes. Monfils won 81% of his first serve points and did not get broken throughout the match even though he conceded six break points.
A whopping 36 winners from the Frenchman's racket helped him break the Argentine's serve six times throughout the match. He committed 21 unforced errors, seven fewer than Coria's tally.
Alexander Bublik, meanwhile, needed 152 minutes to get past Ernesto Escobedo; Bublik won 3-6, 7-6(5), 6-3, 6-3, registering his first win of the season in the process.
The Kazakh's penchant for playing all-out tennis was on full display against Escobedo as virtually every point was decided on Bublik's racket. The 24-year-old hammered a mind-boggling 82 winners against the American, including 30 aces.
At the same time, Bublik gave away several points, courtesy of his 67 unforced errors, which included 11 double faults.
The World No. 37 fared well on his first serve, winning 86% of the points played on that shot. However, his second serve was repeatedly exploited by Escobedo, as evidenced by his meager 36% success rate on that shot.
Gael Monfils vs Alexander Bublik head-to-head
Alexander Bublik leads Gael Monfils by a margin of 1-0 in the head-to-head. The two faced each other in the first round of Roland Garros in 2020, with the Kazakh prevailing 6-4, 7-5, 3-6, 6-3.
Gael Monfils vs Alexander Bublik prediction
Gael Monfils is one of the most in-form players on tour now, having recently won a title in Adelaide. He also has more match practice under his belt than Alexander Bublik, who has only featured in two matches this year.
The rust was evident as Bublik mistimed and mishit several returns in his first round. But that did not stop the 24-year-old from going for his shots whenever he got the chance, and the same can be expected against Monfils.
The Frenchman, too, enjoys playing attacking tennis and it remains to be seen if he manages to generate enough depth against Bublik's penetrative returns. That said, the pace on the Kazakh's returns could come in handy for the 17th seed.
Monfils is the slight favorite based on recent form. But Bublik might nick this one given his ability to conjure winners out of nowhere consistently.
Prediction: Alexander Bublik to win in five sets.
