Fresh off becoming the oldest ATP Tour player to reach the fourth round of the Miami Open, Gael Monfils takes on Florida-born Sebastian Korda, aiming to reach the quarter-finals of the event for the second time in his career.
The 38-year-old Frenchman has required deciders in all three rounds at the Masters event, having spent six hours and 28 minutes on court heading into a second match-up with Korda in consecutive tournaments following their round-two meeting in Indian Wells.
Match preview
© Imago
Monfils was a game away from elimination in Miami when Jaume Munar served for the match at 6-5 in the third set, only for the 38-year-old to force a final-set shootout, which he claimed for a 7-5, 5-7, 7-6(1) triumph.
Spending two hours and 37 minutes on court, the showman crossed the six-hour mark after his victory over the Spaniard, reaching the third round for the second time in three years.
However, Francisco Cerundolo halted Monfils's run in 2022 and Carlos Alcaraz did last year, so the former world No. 6 aims to reach the last eight for the first time in almost a decade.
The 38-year-old's finest run at the event came nine years ago in 2016, when he reached the last eight before falling to Kei Nishikori in a thrilling three-setter, and he is one more win away from emulating that career-high in Florida.
With the world No. 46's recent success taking him to 14-4 for the year, another victory would bring the veteran to 15 wins for the season and into a second quarter-final following his Auckland run to start 2025.
© Iconsport
In the French star's way is Florida-born Korda, who aims to get even with Monfils after losing to the 13-time ATP champion in Indian Wells.
The 24-year-old's two-set defeat to the experienced player in California was his third in a row, following a five-set exit to Aleksandar Vukic in Australia and a three-set elimination by Otto Virtanen in Marseille.
The world No. 25 has responded with consecutive victories for the first time since January's run to the Adelaide final, where he was beaten by Felix Auger-Aliassime; the two-time titlist aims to claim three wins on the trot by winning Tuesday's contest.
Korda's ongoing run includes an admirable performance to dispatch Stefanos Tsitsipas in two sets for his first top-10 victory in 2025 and first since ousting Alexander Zverev in Canada last year, improving to 5-4 for the season and 9-3 in Miami, where he reached the last eight in his debut tournament four years ago.
Having failed to go beyond the third round in 2022 and 12 months ago, the American has eclipsed his performance from those years and, like his opponent, has come within one more win of equalling his best run at the Masters event.
Tournament so far
Gael Monfils:
First round: vs. Fabian Marozsan 6-3 3-6 6-4
Second round: vs. Jiri Lehecka 6-1 3-6 7-6[8]
Third round: vs. Jaume Munar 7-5 5-7 7-6[1]
Sebastian Korda:
First round: Bye
Second round: vs. Eliot Spizzirri 6-4 6-2
Third round: vs. Stefanos Tsitsipas 7-6[4] 6-3
Head To Head
Indian Wells (2025) - Second round: Monfils 7-6(2) 7-6(4)
Monfils's only meeting with Korda on the men's tour came at the recent BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells about a fortnight ago, with the Frenchman claiming two tiebreaks to win the two-hour tussle.
The veteran, aiming to improve his 14-4 record this year, has notched nine more wins than the American player, who has struggled with injury over the last seven months, suffering an elbow injury in the final months of 2024 and a tear earlier this season.
We say: Monfils to win in three sets
Monfils enters Tuesday's contest with a 26-7 record in the last 52 weeks against players outside the top 20, including 13 victories in 14 matches against such opponents in 2025, with his only loss to Matteo Berrettini in Dubai.
Despite spending over six hours on court in Miami, the veteran, who enters his fourth-round contest on a five-match winning run over players ranked outside the top 20, should clinch a sixth victory to set up a quarter-final meeting with Lorenzo Musetti or Novak Djokovic.
