As the ATP men’s tour enters its busiest month of February, the action moves to Montpellier, which is one of France’s fastest growing cities. The ATP 250 tournament made its debut at a hard court indoor venue, in 2010 and has since moved to the multi-purpose Sud de France arena. Get all the information on this Montpellier Open live streaming, preview and draw here.
Historically, the host nation has been well represented at this event. Alexander Zverev and Tomas Berdych are the only non French winners of the title thus far.
This year as well, the Montpellier Open draw is well represented by the Frenchmen. Defending champion Lucas Pouille, after a strong Australian Open run where he was a semi-finalist, is the top seed and will look to build on his strong start to the year.
Second seed Belgian David Goffin, recovering from injury and somewhat indifferent form, will look to get his season back on track here. Canadian teenage sensation Denis Shapavalov, and French veteran Giles Simon complete the top four seeds and both will be looking for some consistency in form and results, after a few erratic months of late.
Given his recent form, and increased confidence, Pouille will start as the favorite for the tournament. There are a number of dangerous floaters in the draw, however. French veterans Benoit Paire and Jeremy Chardy are capable of beating anyone on their day, and so is Phil Kohlschreiber.
Former top-ten players Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Tomas Berdych, returning from injuries, are both unseeded and would be a dangerous proposition for any opponent in the draw.
Therefore, the next week makes for one where players like Pouille, will look to hone in on recent form, and many others look to regain some lost form
2019 Montpellier Open Draw:
Looking at the draw, Pouille has a relatively safe path to the semi-finals, with the German Kohlschreiber potentially causing some challenges en route. With Berdych and Paire in his quarter, second seed Goffin may have a less smooth path to the semis.
With increased confidence from the Davis Cup, Shapavalov will have to probably fend off timeless big serving giant Ivo Karlovic on his path to the final four. Fellow frenchmen Tsonga and Chardy both stand in the way of number four seed Simon’s semi-final route.
It promises to be another exciting week at the impressive Sud de France arena, with local French fans having plenty to cheer for.
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