Canadian Open 2023: Gael Monfils vs Aleksandar Vukic preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (PR) Gael Monfils vs (LL) Aleksandar Vukic
Date: August 10, 2023
Tournament: Canadian Open 2023
Round: Third round (Round of 16)
Venue: Toronto, Canada
Category: ATP Masters 1000
Surface: Hard
Prize money: $6,600,000
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | Canada - Sportsnet, TVA Sports | UK - Amazon Prime Video | India - Sony Liv
Gael Monfils vs Aleksandar Vukic preview
Gael Monfils will face off against Aleksandar Vukic in the third round of the 2023 Canadian Open on Thursday (August 10).
Monfils knocked out 2023 Wimbledon quarterfinalist Christopher Eubanks to reach the second round, where World No. 4 Stefanos Tsitsipas awaited him. The Frenchman drew first blood in the opening set as a break of serve helped him go 4-2 up.
Monfils held on to the lead until the end of the set to bag the opener. He started the second set by breaking Tsitsipas' serve once again. The Greek was unable to find a way to get back on serve after falling behind.
Tsitsipas then served to stay in the match at 5-3. He had four game points to wrap up the service game, but fumbled on all of them. The 24-year-old was able to save the first match point after that, but Monfils got the job done on the second one to win 6-4, 6-3.
Vukic, meanwhile, fell to Diego Schwartzman in the qualifying rounds, but managed to secure a place in the main draw as a lucky loser. He easily defeated 14th seed Borna Coric in straight sets to reach the second round, where he faced Sebastian Korda.
A lone break of serve proved to be enough for Vukic to claim the first set. Korda wasn't done just yet, though, as he fought back to take the second set.
The Australian led by a break in the third set and even served for the match at 5-4. However, Korda once again managed to raise his level in the nick of time to secure a break of serve. The match soon went into a tie-break, with Vukic gaining the upper hand in it to win 6-3, 4-6, 7-6(5).
Gael Monfils vs Aleksandar Vukic 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 Aleksandar Vukic odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Gael Monfils vs Aleksandar Vukic prediction
Vukic has made the most of his second chance here. His win over Korda has put him in the third round of a Masters 1000 tournament for the first time in his career.
Monfils, on the other hand, scored the biggest win of his comeback by ousting Tsitsipas. The Frenchman dictated the play and often toyed with his opponent. He also managed to hit some flashy winners.
Monfils will now aim to keep the momentum going against Vukic as well. The Australian has notched up some decent results of late himself, including a runner-up finish at the Atlanta Open a couple of weeks ago.
Monfils' accomplishments certainly overshadow Vukic's, making the latter the underdog in this contest. It all seems to be coming together for the 36-year-old and if he continues to play at this level, he should be able to make it to the next round.
Pick: Gael Monfils to win in three sets.