Eighth seed Alexander Bublik begins his Monte-Carlo Masters campaign in the second round against veteran Gaël Monfils. The Frenchman dug deep to claim a 6-7(7), 6-1, 6-4 win over Tallon Griekspoor in his Monte-Carlo opener and will now be eyeing an upset against a player who has endured a frustrating start to the year.
Alexander Bublik vs. Gaël Monfils: Match Details
Date: April 7, 2026
Tournament: Monte-Carlo Masters 2026
Round: Second Round
Venue: Monte Carlo Country Club, Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, France
Surface: Outdoor clay
Category: ATP Masters 1000
Live Telecast: Tennis Channel, Sky Sports, TSN
Bublik vs. Monfils: Head-to-Head History
This will be the first meeting in nearly three years between these two players, and it is Monfils who holds the head-to-head advantage at 2-1. Their only meeting on clay came at Roland Garros in 2020, and it was Bublik who won that match 6-4, 7-5, 3-6, 6-3.
Monfils is playing his final season on the ATP Tour and has continued to showcase the high-intensity tennis that has made him so popular throughout his career. The 39-year-old’s excellent counter-punching was very effective against Griekspoor in the first round, as he came from behind to claim the win.
Going into this second-round matchup, Monfils holds a 3-4 win-loss record for the season. Ten years on from his stunning run to the final at the Monte-Carlo Masters, he will be dreaming of another strong showing at this ATP 1000 tournament.
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Bublik started his year by winning the Hong Kong Open and made the fourth round at the Australian Open. He then reached the semifinals in Rotterdam but suffered early exits in Dubai, Indian Wells, and Miami.
The 28-year-old does not have the best of records in Monte-Carlo, but did find his groove toward the end of the clay-court swing last year. He made the quarterfinals of the French Open and then won titles in Gstaad and Kitzbühel.
Bublik vs. Monfils: Match Prediction
Bublik will be the favorite to win this second-round match. But as we have seen from him time and again throughout his career, he will not go down without a fight.
The veteran will take confidence from his come-from-behind win against Griekspoor in the first round. Monfils delivered a sharp all-around performance in the first round, firing 9 aces, winning 76% of the points on his first serve, and converting 6 of 12 break-point opportunities.
But defeating Bublik may prove to be a mountain too big to climb, especially after his success on clay last year.
Both players play an unorthodox yet highly entertaining brand of tennis. We could be in for a hard-hitting match between the two on Tuesday.
And Bublik, being the fresher of the two, will fancy his chances of ending Monfils’ run in Monte-Carlo. The PFSN Tennis Predictor is giving Bublik a 75% chance of victory.
Pick: Bublik in straight sets.
