Casper Ruud vs Gael Monfils Prediction & Picks - ATP US Open

Prediction published on 8/28/24, 8:25 AM  by Tyler Doty | Modified on 8/28/24 at 8:35 AM in ATP US Open Picks

Can France's Gael Monfils pull off an upset in the second round of the US Open against Norway's Casper Ruud, ranked 8th in the world?

At the age of 37, Gael Monfils is still having a great time on the tennis courts, even if his physique can sometimes hold him back. However, having beaten Carlos Alcaraz at the Cincinnati Masters 1000, the Frenchman arrived in New York with higher ambitions. But the problem for the Frenchman remains the sequence of matches, which at his age can be a worry, especially 5-set matches. After dominating Argentina's Diego Schwartzman in 4 sets (6-7, 6-2, 6-2, 6-1), Gael Monfils will be looking forward to facing a tough opponent in the next round, and the 45th player in the world will be hoping to have recovered in the sweltering New York heat.

Expedient in the first round, Casper Ruud won't have any recovery problems of his own. The Norwegian is not in the best of form, with surprise exits in the second round in Montreal and the first round in Cincinnati. But at Grand Slam tournaments, the Scandinavian's dimension resurfaces, and beating him is always a tough test. A finalist in 2022 at Flushing Meadows, the world No. 8 will still be an outsider during this fortnight in the Big Apple, and his first-round display against China's Yunchaokete Bu in 3 sets reminded us that he is still to be taken seriously for this 2024 edition.