Preview: French Open: Hugo Gaston vs. Gael Monfils - prediction, form, head-to-head

One of the all-French matches in the opening round of the 2026 French Open will see veteran Gael Monfils take on Hugo Gaston on Monday.

Gaston got to the round of 32 at the Hamburg Open this month before losing to Karen Khachanov 6-3 3-6 6-7 (4-7), while Monfils last featured at the Madrid Open in April, where Camilo Ugo Carabelli beat him in the round of 128, 6-3 6-4.

Match preview

For a long time, he has shown potential, but more often than not, Hugo Gaston has failed to put it all together when it matters most.

The 25-year-old has lost his opening match in three straight singles Grand Slam tournaments, falling to Jannik Sinner at the Australian Open earlier this year.

At the same time, he has exited the French Open in his opening match in two of the past three years, but reached round two in 2025 thanks to a five-set triumph over Frenchman Ugo Blanchet.

That said, his best-ever finish in a Grand Slam was at the French Open in 2020, when he reached the fourth round.

On clay this year, Gaston has won 55% of his service games while also saving 55% of his break points overall.

He has captured just over half of his first serves on clay this year (51%), which is slightly above what he has on second serves thus far (48%).

© Imago / Sports Press Photo

Arguably the greatest showman on the ATP tour, Gael Monfils could be playing at the French Open for the final time on Monday.

This edition of Roland-Garros will be his last one, with the 39-year-old hoping to go out on a high note.

The Parisian-born star has never reached a final in a major tournament but has advanced beyond the opening round in his last four French Open appearances, with his best-ever finish coming in 2008, when he reached the semi-finals.

While he has always entertained audiences, that has not translated to results in these big events of late, as the Frenchman has gone out in the opening round of his previous two Grand Slams.

In 2026, he has won 73% of his first serve points while winning 76% of his service games on clay.

At his age, he does not have as much speed anymore, but has still made some miraculous recoveries, saving 69% of his break points on clay in 2026.

We say: Monfils to win in four sets

Experience and sentimental value will favour Monfils, who should be able to expose Gaston, who has yet to put together a statement performance at a Grand Slam event.