Main-draw action at the season’s first clay-court Masters 1000 event gets underway on Sunday. Gael Monfils vs. Tallon Griekspoor and Ugo Humbert vs. Moise Kouame headline the Monte-Carlo schedule.
(WC) Gael Monfils vs. Tallon Griekspoor
Monfils will begin his final appearance at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters on Sunday. The 39-year-old Frenchman, who comes in at No. 203 in the world, has announced that this is his last season on the pro tour. It has been a mixed bag in what is basically a home tournament for Monfils, who is 15-12 lifetime in the principality with a runner-up performance in 2016 (lost to Rafael Nadal) and a semifinal showing in 2015.
Up first for Monfils is a second meeting with Griekspoor, who won their only previous encounter 6-4, 1-6, 6-3 on the hard courts of Washington, D.C. in 2023. Griekspoor also heads to Monte-Carlo with zero momentum, as he suffered a hamstring injury in Dubai more than a month ago and has not won a match since that development. The 30th-ranked Dutchman returned in Marrakech and promptly lost to Luca Van Assche in straight sets. Monfils, who has not lost in the Monte-Carlo first round since 2013, has a great chance to treat his fans to minor upset.
Pick: Monfils in 3
(WC) Moise Kouame vs. Ugo Humbert
It will be an all-French affair when Humbert and Kouame collide for the first time in their careers on Sunday. Kouame, 17, recently became the youngest player since Nadal in 2003 (Hamburg) to win a main-draw match at a Masters 1000 tournament (beat Zachary Svajda in Miami). He has been dominant at times on the Futures circuit and is already up to No. 328 in the rankings.
Humbert’s 2026 results have been all over the place, but he is coming off a decent fourth-round showing in Miami. Although the world No. 34 is terrible on clay (50-57 lifetime record), he is facing a much younger opponent who has almost zero clay-court knowledge (8-10 record on it). This will probably be a roller-coaster ride that is not particularly high on quality, with an edge going to Humbert only because of his experience.
Pick: Humbert in 3