Taro Daniel vs Gael Monfils Prediction & Betting Tips - ATP US Open

Prediction published on 29/08/2023, 11:24  by Joseph King | Modified on 29/08/2023 at 17:05 in Tennis Predictions

The first round of the 2023 US Open main draw sees an unseeded battle between Gael Monfils and Taro Daniel. The winner of this duel will go on to face either Emil Ruusuvuori or eighth-seeded Andrey Rublev in the second round. The 36-year-old Gael Monfils is still competing at the top-level as he approaches his 20th year as a professional. It’s been a fairly strong month for the Frenchmen as he made it to the third round of the Citi Open, the quarter-final of the National Bank Open and the third-round of the Cincinnati Open. Those were all consecutive hard court finishes, meaning that Monfils is on a current run of 7-3 in the month of August. Monfils is down to 162nd in the ATP rankings, which is understandable given his age and his reduced tournament load. The highest ranking the Parisian had achieved in his career was sixth back in 2017.

Taro Daniel battled through qualifiers to reach this stage, dispatching of Nagal, Seong Chan Hong and Comesana. Prior to the US Open, the Japanese pro picked up an impressive win over 35th-ranked Adrian Mannarino in the first round of the National Bank Open. Daniel would eventually go on to be eliminated in the second round of the competition by Milos Raonic. The 30-year-old’s two best finishes this calendar year came in the Mexican Open at Acapulco and at Indian Wells. Daniel won three matches in each tournament, making it to the quarter-final in the former and the third round in the latter. Taro Daniel is sporting a record of 29 wins and 23 losses in 2023 but has maintained solid results on this surface. He comes in with a 19-10 record this year on hard courts.