In an all-French affair, two players riding a lot of momentum square off in the opening round of the Australian Open as Gael Monfils takes on Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard for the first time in his career.
Last Saturday, Monfils won the ASB Classic final over Zizou Bergs 6-3 6-4, while Mpetshi Perricard made the semi-finals of the Brisbane Open earlier this year, where he was beaten by Reilly Opelka 3-6 6-7 (4-7).
Match preview
© Imago
An offseason of rest seems to have done Monfils some good, with the 38-year-old becoming the oldest men's player to win an ATP title since 1977 last weekend.
It was the 13th victory of his career as he won the final match in one hour and 37 minutes for his first singles title since the 2023 Stockholm Open when he defeated Pavel Kotov in straight sets.
His best Grand Slam showing this decade came at the 2022 Aussie Open when he made it to the quarter-finals before falling to Matteo Berrettini.
Monfils has made it beyond the opening round in his last 10 singles Grand Slam contests since he was upset by Finland's Emil Ruusuvuori in a five-set thriller in 2021.
So far this year, he seems to have regained his strong service form, hitting 22 aces in 2025 while only registering four double faults.
He has claimed only 51% of second service return points but has made up for that by winning 71% of his first service points so far this year.
© Imago
While Monfils needed time off to get into form, his first-round opponent was in solid form down the stretch of the 2024 campaign.
Mpetshi Perricard began to peak last fall, claiming the ATP 500 crown in Basel with a straight-sets triumph over Ben Shelton.
The 21-year-old will be competing in the Australian Open singles draw for only the second time, having been eliminated in the qualification stage a year ago.
This week, he has a chance to make it beyond the opening round of a Grand Slam singles event for only the second time ever, having made the fourth round at Wimbledon in 2022.
So far, in 2025, the Frenchman has won 83% of his first serve points on the hard court and nearly all of his service games (98%), registering 85 aces along the way.
In 2025, he has faced six break points on hard court surfaces and saved 83% of his break points while winning a total of 74% of his service points.
We say: Monfils to win in four sets
Monfils appears to be injury-free and rejuvenated after a difficult 2024, and his experience and excellent recovery speed could propel him into the next round of this tournament.
Joel Lefevre
