Is Gael Monfils an underdog against Dominic Thiem?
By Harry Floyd
French tennis star Gael Monfils takes on Dominic Thiem next at the Indian Wells Masters. Who is the favorite in their matchup?
Gael Monfils is on fire right now in men’s singles tennis. His success goes beyond just this tournament. Earlier this year, Monfils notched a title in Rotterdam, defeating Swiss great Stan Wawrinka in the finals. Watch the highlights of their match here.
Currently, Monfils enters the quarterfinals coming off of two tremendous victories. In the round of 32, the French tennis star rolled over Albert Ramos-Viñolas, winning 6-0, 6-3. Then, he repeated his brilliant performance by knocking out Philipp Kohlschreiber in straight sets. Monfils defeats Kohlschreiber 6-0, 6-2 in the round of 16.
More. Can Federer win Indian Wells?. light
More from Lob and Smash
- Caroline Wozniacki gets her wild card for the Australian Open
- Tennis News: Rafael Nadal, Emma Raducanu and protected rankings
- Martina Navratilova: Money lost by coming out was in the ‘millions’
- Tennis News: Novak Djokovic, Nick Kyrgios and Matteo Berrettini
- Boris Becker and Rick Macci bicker over Carlos Alcaraz
As for Dominic Thiem, the seventh seed is yet to drop a single set. He continued his own dominant run at the Indian Wells Masters by defeating veteran star Ivo Karlović in his previous match. Now, we have to wonder who to favor in the upcoming Monfils-Thiem matchup…
Looking at their career head to head, Thiem has ultimate scoreboard. Monfils has NEVER beaten him in men’s singles action, not counting a walkover. Take a look at their match history here.
The way that Monfils is playing so far on the 2019 ATP Tour, however, makes us stop to reconsider who ought to be favored.
Monfils is 12-3 so far on the year in men’s singles and Thiem is just 3-4. It’s almost as if the French veteran is witnessing a true resurgence on tour. Although he has an impressive eight titles in men’s singles throughout his career, Monfils has only ever won at most one in any single season. 2019 could be the year that Monfils wins several titles and the Indian Wells Masters could be the tournament where he truly makes his mark. This Monfils-Thiem matchup is highly anticipated.
Next. Djokovic's Success is GREAT for Tennis. dark
What do the oddsmakers have to say about Gael Monfils versus Dominic Thiem? Monfils actually has a slight edge over the Austrian tennis star. Thiem is the seventh seed and current world number eight on the ATP Tour but he cannot discount Monfils next at Indian Wells. Some sports books have Monfils favored by two games. We like the French tennis star in straight sets. Thiem has to stop a red hot veteran great right in his tracks if he hopes to reach the semifinals.