Damien Kayat previews the Mosselle Open selected Round of 16 matches.
ATP Tour 2021
ATP 250 Series
Moselle Open
Arenes de Metz
Selected Round of 16 Matches- 23rd September
Phillip Kohlschreiber 2/1 | Gael Monfils 37/100
Well, doesn’t this match have a wonderfully retro feel? In fact, this is actually a rematch of the 2009 Moselle Open Final (Monfils won that match in a tight three-set tussle). 37-year-old German Phillip Kohlschreiber is close to the end of a highly competitive career. The German has participated in an impressive 18 ATP Tour finals. To be fair, the last of those finals came in 2018 in Germany. But he certainly has the capacity to beat far superior players on his day. Just this year, he beat Fernando Verdasco and in-form Aslan Karatsev to reach the 3rd round of the French Open. He also pushed Denis Shapovalov in a fiery five-set match at Wimbledon. His progression this week is really a microcosm of his last two seasons. Kohlschreiber actually lost his final qualifying match to Holger Rune. He took full advantage of his Lucky Loser status to pull off a startling straight sets victory over Marco Cecchinato. He will need to overcome a significant head-to-head discrepancy against his next opponent: Gael Monfils.
Newly married Gael Monfils has struggled with consistency this season. Lest we forget, Monfils started last year like a man possessed, winning his 9th and 10th ATP titles at the Open Sud de France and Rotterdam Open. It marked the first time that Monfils had won two ATP titles in a season. But the Covid break came at the worst time for Monfils. The ever-popular Frenchman has been in dreadful form in 2021. Form and fitness have abandoned him. It’s really no surprise that the 35-year-old is starting to feel the pinch. His entire career has been built on explosive athleticism and feats of endurance. To be honest, it’s amazing that he is still going. But it would seem as if he has rediscovered something in the last month or so. He reached the quarterfinals of the Canadian Open before a 3rd round run at Flushing Meadows. Italian NextGen star Jannik Sinner needed an arduous five sets to beat Monfils at the US Open.
Verdict: Monfils in three at 26/10
These two are certainly no strangers to each other: this will be their 17th career meeting! The Frenchman holds a commanding 14-2 head-to-head record against the German. They last met in the last 16 of the Indian Wells Masters in 2019, with Monfils winning in straight sets. I expect a bruising encounter between two grizzled veterans of the game. I think that Monfils’ rejuvenated form should see him through in a tight three-set match at 26/10.
Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 11/10 | Nikoloz Basilashvili 69/100
I was slightly hesitant when I backed Simon to pull off the upset win against Fokina. I just couldn’t ultimately resist the value. The Spaniard went on to persevere in three sets. Perhaps I slightly underestimated his abilities on harder surfaces (he did reach the 4th round of last year’s US Open after all). Fokina’s real breakthrough this season came on clay. The Spaniard reached the quarterfinals in Monte Carlo prior to a scintillating quarterfinal run at Roland Garros. He needed to call on all his creativity to come from a set down against past Moselle master Gilles Simon. He ultimately was able to wear the Frenchman down with his physical superiority. He may need to find another gear to come through his next encounter against Georgian Nikoloz Basilashvili.
Basilahvili has endured a turbulent 18 months. He was arrested in May of last year for the alleged assault of his ex-wife. That has obviously been a disruptive influence in his tennis. Basilashvili reached as high as 16 in the world rankings in 2019, winning three ATP 500 titles between 2018 and 2019. The Georgian has always been a mercurial player, given to bouts of excellence and long periods of drought. 2021 has been no exception. He has actually won two titles in 2021 (in Qatar and Munich). He won the Munich title without dropping a set. But he has also registered a staggering 13 first-round exits this season. That’s an astonishing disparity. I was encouraged by the ease with which he saw off first-round opponent Gianluca Mager. Perhaps this could be another of those explosive weeks in which the Georgian catches fire.
Verdict: Basilashvili to win at 69/100
This will be the first career meeting between these two. This should be a fascinating match. Basilashvili will look to dominate and dictate the pace with his powerful forehand. How that weapon works will ultimately determine this result. If Fokina can withstand that barrage and extend enough points, he will probably feel confident of wearing down the occasionally fickle Basilashvili. But I think that Basilashvili will have gained some confidence from his opening victory and should persevere here.
