2020 Australian Open – Gael Monfils vs Ernests Gulbis Preview & Prediction

THE FACTS

Where is Gael Monfils vs Ernests Gulbis taking place? Melbourne Park, Melbourne

When is Gael Monfils vs Ernests Gulbis on and what time does it start? Saturday 25^th January, 2020 – not before 02:00 (UK)

What is the expected weather for Gael Monfils vs Ernests Gulbis? Partly cloudy, 22c

What channel is Gael Monfils vs Ernests Gulbis on? The 2020 Australian Open will be televised on Eurosport so it is worth checking their schedule for this specific match

Where can I stream Gael Monfils vs Ernests Gulbis in the UK? Sky customers can stream this match on the Sky Go app. Alternatively, the match can be streamed to subscribers of Eurosport Player, either on the official website or as an add-on to an Amazon Prime subscription

Where can I get tickets for Gael Monfils vs Ernests Gulbis? Click here to reach the official 2020 Australian Open ticket selection

Who won the last meeting between Gael Monfils and Ernests Gulbis? Gael Monfils beat Ernests Gulbis 6-4, 6-4

THE LOWDOWN

GAEL MONFILS

• 10^th seed Gael Monfils beat the man with the monstrous serve Ivo Karlovic in the second round, coming back from a set down to take it in four sets.
• 33-year-old Monfils has won in the second round for the first time since 2017 with a quarter-final exit to Milos Raonic in 2016 his highest placing at the Australian Open.
• Monfils has beaten Ernests Gulbis on both previous occasions the pair have met but not since 2016 at the Rotterdam Open, the tournament Monfils won last year.

ERNESTS GULBIS

• Latvian Ernests Gulbis came through the qualifiers and a first-round victory over 20^th seed Felix Auger-Aliassime to reach the second round, where he convincingly beat Aljaz Bedene in straight sets.
• Although Auger-Aliassime was not at the peak of his powers, Gulbis is a false statistic at world number 256 with a career-high ranking of 10^th back in 2014.
• The 31-year-old has not made it past the first round at the Australian Open since that career-year but he is through to the third round here for the first time.

THE PREDICTION

This should be a much closer encounter than many expect as qualifier Ernests Gulbis has reached the third round at Melbourne for the first time on merit and Gael Monfils has not been at his best for a while now. A result based on anything other than their rankings would be guesswork and this looks like the kind of match that Monfils is shocked in. Both players should take a set, and the favourite is Monfils, but Gulbis has already taken down the 20^th seed and could cause an upset again here.