Newly crowned number one Daniil Medvedev is set to face Gael Monfils in the third round of 2022 Indian Wells masters. The Russian was drawn with a first round bye. Hence kicking off his campaign in a second round match against Tomas Machac. Daniil comfortably won that match convincingly with a 6-3, 6-2 scoreline.
Despite being without a title so far this year, Medvedev has put out some exceptional performances. He led his national team to ATP cup finals at the beginning of the year. He followed that up with an outstanding display at the Australian Open, reaching the final for the second time in his career. The trophy was all his for the taking as he went two sets to love against Nadal. However, nerves got the better of him and Nadal wasted no time to seize the opportunity for his 21st grand slam title.
Medvedev continued his fine form in the Mexican Open but was once again stopped by Rafa Nadal at the semifinals. A culmination of these performances including Djokovic’s loss in Dubai propelled him to the number one spot in men’s tennis. He became the first player outside Djokovic, Federer, Nadal and Andy Murray to hold the top spot in 18 years.
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Gael Monfils
Seeded 26th going into the competition, Monfils didn’t drop his serve as he eased past Filip Krajinovic 6-3, 6-4 in his Indian Wells opening match. The French pro player may not be having the stellar start he would be hoping for. However, he began the season with his 11th title in Adelaide, losing out of the Australian Open in the quarterfinals. He has since played at Montpelier but lost in straight sets to Mikael Ymer.
Medvedev and Monfils have met only twice with the head to head tied at 1-1. With his ranking as the World No. 1, Daniil Medvedev will enter the match with a high level of confidence. On the other hand, Monfils’ unpredictable game is obvious, having won only three of his last five games. The Russian holds the edge over Monfils and is expected to proceed to the next round.
