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Match Details
Fixture: (8) Denis Shapovalov vs Gael Monfils
Date: April 15, 2025
Tournament: BMW Open 2025
Round: First Round (Round of 32)
Venue: MTTC Iphitos Complex, Munich, Germany
Category: ATP 500
Surface: Clay
Prize Money: €2,500,000
Live Telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Sky Sports | Canada - TSN+
Denis Shapovalov vs Gael Monfils preview
Eighth seed Denis Shapovalov will take on Gael Monfils in the first round of the BMW Open 2025.
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Shapovalov had an underwhelming start to the season as he failed to win back-to-back matches in his first three tournaments, including the Australian Open. He turned his season around at the Dallas Open, where he stormed to his third career title and the biggest of his career.
Shapovalov beat three top 10 players during his title-winning run in Dallas. He ousted Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul en route to the final and then beat Casper Ruud in the summit clash to claim his maiden ATP 500 crown. His unbeaten run came to an end at the Mexican Open with a semifinal exit.
The Canadian's results have gotten progressively worse since then. He lost in the third round of the BNP Paribas Open and the Miami Open. He followed it up with a first-round exit from the Monte-Carlo Masters, his first tournament on clay.
Monfils claimed the 13th career title at the ASB Classic in Auckland at the start of the year. He then reached the fourth round of the Australian Open, losing to Ben Shelton. A first-round exit from the Dubai Tennis Championships was followed by a third-round showing at Indian Wells and a fourth-round appearance in Miami.
Monfils also started his clay swing at the Monte-Carlo Masters. He staged a comeback to beat Fabian Marozsan 4-6, 6-1, 6-1 in his opener. He was up against Andrey Rublev in the second round and lost to him 6-4, 7-6 (2).
Denis Shapovalov vs Gael Monfils head-to-head
Monfils leads Shapovalov 2-1 in the head-to-head. The Frenchman won their previous meeting in Rotterdam last year in two tight sets.
Denis Shapovalov vs Gael Monfils odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Denis Shapovalov vs Gael Monfils prediction
Shapovalov's results have regressed after playing some of the best tennis earlier this year. He has a 12-7 record for the year, though eight of those wins came when he peaked to win the title in Dallas and reach the semis in Acapulco. Monfils has a solid 15-6 record this year. However, clay hasn't been good to him in recent years.
The Frenchman has an 8-17 record on the red dirt this decade and hasn't registered consecutive wins on the surface during this period. Furthermore, he has a 2-8 record against top 50 players on clay. The last time he tallied back-to-back wins on clay was during his fourth-round finish at the French Open 2019.
Shapovalov has had some decent results on clay this decade and has compiled a 24-22 record. While he began this year's clay swing on a losing note, he should be able to sneak past Monfils, who has struggled to put his best foot forward on clay in recent times.
Pick: Denis Shapovalov to win in three sets.
