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Gael Monfils vs Botic Van De Zandschulp: Qatar Open – First round
The former Qatar Open champion Gael Monfils will take on Botic Van De Zandschulp in the opening round of this year’s tournament.
Gael Monfils Profile
Gael Monfils is 70th in the ATP rankings and one of the oldest players on the tour. The former world No. 6 is 2-4 for the season and 1-2 on hard surface. The two wins this season came against Denis Shapovalov and Yannik Hanfmann.
He is coming to Doha after losing in the round of 16 in Rotterdam to Jannik Sinner in three sets. Previously, he lost in the opening round in Montpellier and the second round at the Australian Open.
This is Monfils’ first appearance in Doha after he won the tournament in 2018. The 37-year-old Frenchman has a total of 12 ATP titles, with the last one coming last year in Stockholm.
Botic Van De Zandschulp Profile
Botic Van De Zandschulp is 66th in the rankings, and his career high is No. 22. The Dutchman is 3-5 for the season and 2-3 on hard surfaces.
He is coming off a 6-3 opening round loss to Jannik Sinner in Rotterdam, and he also lost to the Italian in the Australian Open first round.
Earlier this season, Van De Zandschulp reached the second round in Hong Kong and Auckland.
This will be his third consecutive appearance in Doha, and he reached the round of 16 in the previous two years.
Van De Zandschulp has never won an ATP title and has 10 lower-level tournament wins.
Head-to-Head
This will be the first match between these two players.
Prediction and Conclusion
Many have already signed off Gael Monfils, but the 37-year-old is still active, and even though he is just a shadow of the player he once was, he is still one of the most entertaining figures in the tennis world. The Frenchman will start against Botic Van De Zandschulp, who is in his prime and had some solid performances last season. Given the odds, Monfils is a slight favorite, but he is not on the necessary level at the start of the season, and Van De Zandschulp will take advantage of that and advance to the next round.
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