2010 BNP Paribas Masters: Andy Murray versus Gael Monfils – Match Preview
The final quarterfinal match of the day at 2010 BNP Paribas Masters Men’s singles tournament will feature the number one Brit Andy Murray and local favourite Gael Monfils on the Court Central in Paris. This will be their fifth ATP World tour singles encounter
with Murray leading the pair’s head to head series at 3-1.
The 23-year-old Murray is playing on the fifth occasion in Bercy in a row. His best results so far here are back to back quarter final appearances in 2007 and 2008.
Murray, who is currently ranked number four in the South African Airways ATP list, is recently coming off his first career ATP World Tour doubles crown at the Valencia Open, where the Scott won the title battle along with his brother Andy Jamie. The right
hander also captured his sixth career ATP World Tour Masters 1000 crown last month at the Shanghai Rolex Masters after getting the better of World number two Roger Federer in the final. He did not miss a single set in five clashes in China.
Murray enjoys a final mark of 2-2 in 2010 and enters with a win loss record of 42-15 on the season. He grabbed his first ATP World Tour trophy of the year in Toronto where he brushed aside the former world number three David Nalbandian in the quarters, Rafael
Nadal in the semis and Roger Federer in the finals in straight sets. It was Murray’s fifth career ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title and first since last year.
He has already qualified for the elite eight man field in London along with Andy Roddick, Tomas Berdych, David Ferrer, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Robin Soderling and Novak Djokovic. This will be his third straight appearance in the season finale.
The Scott, who has yet to win his first Grand Slam title on the tour, has not played flawless tennis so far in Paris as he dropped set against David Nalbandian as well as Marin Cilic in his previous matches at the BNP Paribas Masters.
The French tennis player Monfils, on the other hand, started off his tournament’s campaign with a two setter victory over Benjamin Becker, a qualifier from Germany on Tuesday. The final match score was 7-6, (4) 6-4. He currently enjoys a career mark of 7-4
in Bercy.
Monfils, last year made his way into his first title battle here before losing at the hands of world number two Novak Djokovic of Serbia in a third set tie break. Along the way, the Scott overpowered the thirteen seed Radek Stepanek, Marin Cilic and David
Guez.
He is the second highest ranked tennis contender from France behind the world number thirteen Tsonga. Monfils is playing in his twelfth quarter-final or better in 2010 after finishing as a quarter finalist last week in Valencia. The professional tennis ace
from France won his first ATP World Tour crown of the season in Montpellier after getting the better of Ivan Ljubicic in straight sets. Monfils was also a finalist in Stuttgart as well as Tokyo earlier in 2010.
The right hander, who enters with a win loss mark of 42-18 on the year, is one of the four French winners on the tour in 2010 along with Richard Gasquet, Michael Llorda and Gilles Simon. Having started the season at number thirteen, Monfils is currently
ranked number fourteen in the South African Airways ATP list.
The only time the Frenchman triumphed versus Murray was in France back in 2006 during the French Open competition. So, will the home soil advantage once more be helpful for Gaels or will the Scott cruise past the French to further improve their head to head
series at 4-1?
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