Cincinnati 2023: Gael Monfils vs Alex de Minaur preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick

Fixture: (PR) Gael Monfils vs Alex de Minaur

Date: August 16, 2023

Tournament: Western & Southern Open 2023

Round: Second round (Round of 32)

Venue: Cincinnati, US

Surface:Hard

Prize money: $6,600,000

Gael Monfils vs Alex de Minaur preview

Gael Monfils and Alex de Minaur are set to face off in the second round of the 2023 Western & Southern Open on Wednesday.

Monfils took on 13th seed Cameron Norrie in the first round. The Frenchman drew first blood in the opening set to go 2-0 up, but squandered his lead to lose the set.

The second set played out in a near-identical fashion. Monfils went up a break and Norrie fought back to level the score. However, the former was able to snag another break of serve this time around to claim the set.

Norrie started the third set by breaking Monfils' serve, but his resistance crumbled after that. The Frenchman swept the next four games to go 4-1 up and soon closed out the proceedings to complete a 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 comeback win.

De Minaur, meanwhile, commenced his campaign in Cincinnati against home favorite J.J. Wolf. The Australian played a near flawless first set to clinch it without losing a single game. His momentum came to an abrupt halt in the second set as he fell behind 3-0.

De Minaur was unable to dig himself out of that hole and lost the set. However, he regrouped in no time to dominate the play in the third set to win the match 6-0, 3-6, 6-1.

Gael Monfils vs Alex de Minaur head-to-head

Monfils leads De Minaur 1-0 in the head-to-head. He won their previous encounter at the 2021 Western & Southern Open in straight sets.

Gael Monfils vs Alex de Minaur odds

(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)

Gael Monfils vs Alex de Minaur prediction

Monfils and De Minaur both needed three sets to get past their respective first-round opponents, though the former put in a lot more work to earn his win. The Frenchman was limping by the end of his match against Norrie due to an issue with his knee.

However, Monfils is a fighter and unless his condition is serious, he won't considering withdrawing just yet.

De Minaur, meanwhile, is currently in the form of his life. He finished as the runner-up at last week's Canadian Open and reached a career-high ranking of No. 12 thanks to his performance in Toronto.

Monfils is having a bit of a resurgence, but he'll need to be fully fit to get the better of an in-form De Minaur. The Australian is likely to move past the veteran to continue with his good string of results.

Pick: Alex de Minaur to win in straight sets.