Australian Open 2022: Matteo Berrettini vs Gael Monfils preview, head-to-head & prediction
Match details
Fixture: (7) Matteo Berrettini vs (17) Gael Monfils
Date: 25 January 2022
Tournament: Australian Open 2022
Round: Quarterfinal
Venue: Melbourne, Australia
Category: Grand Slam
Surface: Hard
Match timing: 8.30 p.m. local time, 9.30 a.m. GMT, 3 p.m. IST
Prize money: $75,000,000
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Eurosport | India - Sony Six, Sony Liv
Matteo Berrettini vs Gael Monfils preview
Seventh seed Matteo Berrettini takes on France's Gael Monfils in the quarterfinals of the 2022 Australian Open on Tuesday.
Berrettini came into the Australian Open as one of the contenders for the title, and has held his own well. The Italian got through his opening rounds against Brandon Nakashima and Stefan Kozlov in four sets each.
He then took on Spanish sensation Carlos Alcaraz in one of the matches of the tournament so far. Berrettini raced into a two-set lead before the 18-year-old staged a comeback and took it to five. The Italian eventually prevailed in a final-set tie-break.
Berrettini defeated Pablo Carreno Busta in straight sets to reach the quarterfinals of the Melbourne Major.
Monfils is one of the surprise packages of the year so far. After a woeful 2021 season, the 35-year-old has kept his place in the top 20 of the ATP rankings solely on the basis of the frozen ranking system.
The Frenchman, however, won his first title in nearly two years in Adelaide where he took out the likes of local favorite Thanassi Kokkinakis and Karen Khachanov.
Remarkably, Monfils is yet to lose a single set in melbourne so far. He defeated Federico Coria, Alexander Bublik, Cristian Garin, and Miomir Kecmanovic to set up the match against Berrettini.
Matteo Berrettini vs Gael Monfils head-to-head
The quarterfinal encounter in Melbourne will be the third match between the two players, with Berrettini leading the head-to-head 2-0.
The pair's first meeting was in the quarterfinals of the 2019 US Open, which the Italian won in four sets. He also took down Monfils in straight sets at the 2021 ATP Cup.
Matteo Berrettini vs Gael Monfils prediction
Recent history, ranking and head-to-head may not be in Gael Monfils' favor, but the Frenchman will fancy his chances on Monday.
The 35-year-old has a game tailormade for the big stage, with his trademark flair, shotmaking ability and quick foot speed. He has also made great improvements to his serve recently, looking comfortable on the shot throughout the tournament.
Matteo Berrettini, however, is a player of far superior ability than any of Monfils' previous opponents this year. The Italian has been one of the most consistent players on the ATP tour of late and both his serve and forehand are massive weapons on hardcourts.
The match may not be the foregone conclusion it seems on paper, but Berrettini's strength and recent experience in the latter stages of Slams may well give him the edge.
Prediction: Matteo Berrettini to win in five sets.