Citi Open 2023: Alexander Bublik vs Gael Monfils preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds, and pick

Match Details

Fixture: (6) Alexander Bublik vs (WC) Gael Monfils

Date: August 2, 2023

Tournament: Citi Open 2023

Round: Second round (Round of 32)

Venue: Washington D.C., United States

Category: ATP 500

Surface: Hard

Prize money: $2,013,940

Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video | Canada - TSN

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Alexander Bublik vs Gael Monfils preview

Alexander Bublik at the 2023 Wimbledon.

After a first-round bye, Alexander Bublik will take on Gael Monfils in the second round of the 2023 Citi Open on Wednesday.

Bublik didn't win his first match of the season until February, when he made it to the semifinals of the Open 13 Provence. Following a second-round exit from his next tournament, he went on another five-match losing streak. He scored his next victory by winning his opener at the Madrid Open, but he lost in the second round after that.

Bublik then made it to the third round of the Italian Open but followed it up with some underwhelming results once again. The Kazakh turned his season around by winning the Halle Open, defeating players like Jannik Sinner and Andrey Rublev en route to the title.

Bublik then notched up his best finish at a Major by reaching the fourth round of Wimbledon. He scored wins over Mackenzie McDonald, J.J. Wolf, and Maximilan Marterer before falling to Rublev in a five-set thriller.

Monfils kicked off his campaign in Washington against qualifier Bjorn Fratangelo. The Frenchman has endured a rather difficult comeback but showed glimpses of his former self in his opener. A single break of serve in each set was enough for him to down the American and win the match 6-3, 6-4.

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Alexander Bublik vs Gael Monfils head-to-head

The two have split their previous couple of meetings evenly to tie the head-to-head at 1-1. Monfils won their last encounter at the 2022 Australian Open in straight sets.

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Alexander Bublik vs Gael Monfils odds

Player	Moneyline	Handicap Bets	Total Games
Alexander Bublik	-155	+1.5 (-400)	Over 22.5 (-125)
Gael Monfils	+120	-1.5 (+260)	Under 22.5 (-110)

(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)

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Alexander Bublik vs Gael Monfils prediction

Gael Monfils at the 2023 Ultimate Tennis Showdown.

Monfils' first-round win over Fratangelo was just his second victory of the year. The Frenchman had a pretty good day on serve as he hit six aces and won 88% of first-serve points. While his athleticism has taken a hit after various injuries, his court coverage was rather solid.

Monfils struck 20 winners against just six unforced errors. He'll need to play a similarly clean match against Bublik in the next round as well. The Kazakh appears to be playing with a renewed sense of belief over the last few weeks, which contributed to a title in Halle as well.

With 417 aces from 34 matches, Bublik ranks fourth on the ATP Tour this season with respect to the number of aces hit. He's also in third place with regard to first-serve points won. Unless Monfils counters the Kazakh's big serve right from the start, he could find it tough to keep up with his opponent as the match progresses.

Monfils keeps fighting until the last point, but based on their recent results, Bublik will be favored to come out on top in this contest.

Pick: Alexander Bublik to win in straight sets.