Rublev vs. Monfils, Davidovich Fokina vs. Etcheverry

A jam-packed day of second-round action in Monte-Carlo features a showdown between Andrey Rublev and Gael Monfils. Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and Tomas Martin Etcheverry are also aiming for a place in the last 16.

(7) Andrey Rublev vs. Gael Monfils

Andrey Rublev has positioned himself as one of the most unpredictable players of the season. He won the title in Doha back in February but suffered two opening losses in Indian Wells and Miami. He has since brought fellow Russian and two-time major winner Marat Safin into his coaching fold. Whether this decision results in a change in fortunes for the struggling No. 7 seed has yet to be determined.

Rublev has traditionally had good results on the dirt. He holds six career titles on clay, including his first Masters crown in Monte-Carlo back in 2023. The issue is that he has played diabolically poor tennis in the past six weeks–and he is taking on crowd favorite Gael Monfils at what amounts to a home tournament.

Monfils is ranked 44th in the world, but he’s in far better form than Rublev right now. He boasts a 14-5 record on the season and already one title to show for his efforts. The Russian owns a 2-1 lifetime edge over Monfils, but their last meeting came in 2023–long before Monfils had his renaissance. The outcome of this match may come down to whether Safin’s presence gives Rublev a boost or introduces more chaos.

Cheryl pick: Monfils in 3

Ricky pick: Monfils in 3

.apm-choosing > .ays_label_poll > div.ays-poll-answer-image > img.ays-poll-each-image{ height: 150px; } #ays-poll-id-67f78a71eba65.box-apm .apm-answers .apm-choosing > label.ays-poll-answer-container-label-list > p.ays-poll-answers > span.ays-poll-each-answer-list { padding: unset; word-wrap: break-word; } #ays-poll-id-67f78a71eba65 .ays-poll-btn{ font-size: 17px; line-height: 1; white-space: normal; word-break: break-word; } } @media screen and (max-width: 768px){ #ays-poll-id-67f78a71eba65{ max-width: 100%; } } #ays-poll-container-2412{ width: 600px; } @media screen and (max-width: 768px){ #ays-poll-container-2412{ width: 100%; max-width: 96%; } #ays-poll-id-67f78a71eba65.box-apm .apm-choosing .ays-poll-each-image-list{ width: 100%; } } ]]>

Tomas Martin Etcheverry vs. Alejandro Davidovich Fokina

Argentina’s Tomas Martin Etcheverry will battle in-form Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the Monte-Carlo second round. DavidovichFokina had a solid win over Ben Shelton in the first round, though the American is known to struggle on clay and Davidovich Fokina is plenty comfortable, though not a typical Spanish clay court player. 

Etcheverry has had dismal results this spring, including three first-round losses in a row coming into this week. The Argentine is ranked 46th, but his results have been worse than his ranking suggests–as he is 7-10 on the season. Etcheverry dispatched qualifier Corentin Moutet in the first round to set up this match against Davidovich Fokina.

Davidovich Fokina is simply playing better tennis right now. With the Spaniard enjoying some of his best form in recent memory and with a 2-0 head-to-head record over Etcheverry, he should advance in comfortable fashion.

Cheryl pick: Davidovich Fokina in 2

Ricky pick: Davidovich Fokina in 2

.apm-choosing > .ays_label_poll > div.ays-poll-answer-image > img.ays-poll-each-image{ height: 150px; } #ays-poll-id-67f78a73c61a5.box-apm .apm-answers .apm-choosing > label.ays-poll-answer-container-label-list > p.ays-poll-answers > span.ays-poll-each-answer-list { padding: unset; word-wrap: break-word; } #ays-poll-id-67f78a73c61a5 .ays-poll-btn{ font-size: 17px; line-height: 1; white-space: normal; word-break: break-word; } } @media screen and (max-width: 768px){ #ays-poll-id-67f78a73c61a5{ max-width: 100%; } } #ays-poll-container-2412{ width: 600px; } @media screen and (max-width: 768px){ #ays-poll-container-2412{ width: 100%; max-width: 96%; } #ays-poll-id-67f78a73c61a5.box-apm .apm-choosing .ays-poll-each-image-list{ width: 100%; } } ]]>