Indian Wells 2022: Daniil Medvedev vs Gael Monfils preview, head-to-head & prediction | BNP Paribas Open
Match details
Fixture: (1) Daniil Medvedev vs (26) Gael Monfils.
Date: 14 March 2022.
Tournament: BNP Paribas Open.
Round: Third round (Round of 32).
Venue: Indian Wells, USA.
Category: ATP Masters 1000.
Surface: Hardcourt.
Prize money: $8,584,055.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video | India - Voot.
Daniil Medvedev vs Gael Monfils preview
World No. 1 Daniil Medvedev will square off against 26th seed Gael Monfils in the third round of the 2022 Indian Wells Masters on Monday.
After a first-round bye, Medvedev kicked off his campaign with a 6-3, 6-2 win over qualifier Tomas Machac. The US Open champion dominated from start to finish, which bodes well for the rest of his campaign.
The Russian has had a decent season so far. He started the year by leading his nation to the semifinals of the ATP Cup. At the Australian Open, Medvedev reached the final for the second straight year. He had one hand on the trophy after leading Rafael Nadal by two sets to love in the final before the Spaniard staged a comeback for the ages to snatch the title.
Medvedev next competed at the Mexican Open, where he lost to Nadal in the semifinals. Nevertheless, his performance in Acapulco, coupled with Novak Djokovic's early loss in Dubai, led him to the top of the ATP rankings for the first time in his career.
Walking out officially as the World No.1 for the first time 😊
@DaniilMedwed #IndianWells https://t.co/Z7SzDn4eac
Gael Monfils, meanwhile, started the year by winning his 11th career title at the Adelaide International. At the Australian Open, he lost in five sets to Matteo Berrettini in the quarterfinals. Monfils then suffered a first-round exit at the Open Sud de France.
In his opening match at Indian Wells, he eased past Filip Krajinovic 6-3, 6-4. The Frenchman didn't drop his serve throughout the contest.
Daniil Medvedev vs Gael Monfils head-to-head
The pair have met twice before, with the head-to-head tied at 1-1. Monfils won their previous encounter at the 2019 Rotterdam Open in three sets.
Daniil Medvedev vs Gael Monfils prediction
Given their results so far this year, Medvedev will have the edge heading into the contest. It should be noted that the Frenchman hasn't defeated a top-10 player since 2019. However, Medvedev hasn't performed too well at Indian Wells; it remains the only big hardcourt event where he hasn't made the quarterfinals.
Going for top 🧐
#IndianWells | @DaniilMedwed https://t.co/CtGXWPwGOu
Both players possess a good serve, though the World No. 1's is slightly better. The duo's court coverage is second to none on the ATP tour, meaning we could be in for some long rallies.
Medvedev's accurate groundstrokes are likely to give him the upper hand in baseline exchanges. He is also excellent at returning serve, which is likely to put Monfils under immense pressure throughout the match.
The Russian hasn't lost early in quite some time and it's highly unlikely he'll do so now.
Prediction: Daniil Medvedev to win in straight sets.