French Open 2023: Gael Monfils vs Sebastian Baez preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick | Roland Garros
Match Details
Fixture: (PR) Gael Monfils vs Sebastian Baez
Tournament: French Open 2023
Round: First round (Round of 128)
Venue: Paris, France
Category: Grand Slam
Surface: Outdoor clay
Prize money: €49,600,000
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel, NBC Sports, Peacock TV | Canada - TSN | UK - Eurosport | India - Sony Ten
Gael Monfils vs Sebastian Baez preview
Home favorite Gael Monfils will take on World No. 44 Sebastian Baez in the first round of the 2023 French Open.
Monfils returned to action in March following a lengthy injury lay-off, but he got injured yet again at the Miami Open. His first tournament on clay was the Srpska Open, where he lost to Jiri Lehecka in the first round. The Frenchman then competed in a couple of Challenger events, winning a total of one match across both of them.
Monfils returned to the ATP tour to participate in the Lyon Open. He faced Pedro Cachin in the first round, but he lost the contest in three sets despite winning the opening set.
Baez has competed in quite a few clay tournaments this season. During the South American clay swing in February, he won the Cordoba Open. He also reached the semifinals of the Chile Open and the quarterfinals of the Rio Open.
Baez's European clay swing commenced at the Estoril Open, where he was the defending champion. His title defense came to an end in the quarterfinals against Casper Ruud. The Argentian failed to win a match at the BMW Open and the Monte-Carlo Masters after that.
Baez snapped his losing streak at the Madrid Open, where he made it to the third round before losing to Stefanos Tsitsipas. He was knocked out in the second round of the Italian Open. The 22-year-old then reached the last eight of the Lyon Open, where he came up short against Cameron Norrie.
Gael Monfils vs Sebastian Baez 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 Sebastian Baez odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Gael Monfils vs Sebastian Baez prediction
Monfils hasn't had an easy time since returning to the tour this year. He's yet to win a match at the ATP level. He didn't shine on the Challenger circuit either, notching just a solitary win.
Monfils was a pretty solid baseliner, but what made him a crowd favorite were his trick shots and showmanship. The Frenchman's athleticism and court coverage haven't been the same since his recent injury troubles, leading to an overall decline in his game.
Monfils' best result at the French Open was a semifinal appearance back in 2008. Since then, he has managed to reach the quarterfinals on three occasions. Beaz made it to the second round upon his Paris debut last year.
Baez's recent results have been rather inconsistent, but he is a player who's quite at home on the red dirt. The 22-year-old is likely to emerge victorious against an out-of-form Monfils, though the partisan French crowd could make things difficult for him.
Pick: Sebastian Baez to win in four sets.