Preview: Indian Wells: Gael Monfils vs. Felix Auger-Aliassime - prediction, head-to-head, tournament so far

Gael Monfils's reward for becoming the second-oldest men's player to win at the BNP Paribas Open is a second-round match with Felix Auger-Aliassime on Friday.

The Frenchman produced a typically high-energy performance to defeat Alexis Galarneau 6-3, 6-4 on Wednesday to advance to a third match against another Canadian player, aiming to reach the third round for a third consecutive year.

Match preview

Box Office Gael was on show at Tennis Paradise on Wednesday, as the wildcard entertained fans in what is the 39-year-old’s final tournament appearance at Indian Wells.

Knowing that the tournament opener could have been his last, the Frenchman delivered a commendable performance to beat the Canadian qualifier in one hour and 22 minutes, converting four of the eight break-point chances he created against the world No. 219.

That victory marked his 23rd overall at Indian Wells, where he holds a 23-15 record at the Masters tournament.

Only at the Canadian Open — with a 24-13 record — has the Frenchman won more at Masters events, and the second-oldest man after Ivo Karlovic to win a match at Indian Wells aims to match his best ATP 1000 performance by defeating Galarneau’s compatriot.

That will be easier said than done for La Monf, who has won just one of his previous seven matches against top-10 players.

That win came over a year ago against Taylor Fritz at the Australian Open, ending a four-match losing streak against such opponents.

Facing ninth seed Auger-Aliassime, the Frenchman aims to beat an opponent who has suffered just four defeats so far in 2026.

The Canadian No. 1 may have retired injured against Nuno Borges Down Under, but results since have been impressive, with the 25-year-old winning the title indoors in Montpellier and reaching the final in Rotterdam, where he was beaten by Alex de Minaur.

Typically a specialist on indoor courts, there were doubts as to whether Auger-Aliassime could carry that form onto outdoor hard courts, and a positive run in Dubai suggests he might do so.

The world No. 8 secured straight-set wins over Zhizhen Zhang, big-serving Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard and Jiri Lehecka before falling to the eventual champion Daniil Medvedev in the semi-finals.

The nine-time ATP champion now aims to carry that Middle East form into the desert, where he is a one-time quarter-finalist.

However, the 2023 run for Auger-Aliassime has been an outlier for a player who has previously exited four times in the second round and twice in the third round.

Holding an overall 7-7 record, the Canadian star will aim to use his current momentum to enhance his 12-4 season record at a tournament that has rarely shown positive results.

Tournament so far

Gael Monfils:

First round: vs. Alexis Galarneau 6-3 6-4

Felix Auger-Aliassime:

First round: Bye

Head To Head

Laver Cup (2023) - Round Robin: Auger-Aliassime 6-4 6-3

Rotterdam (2020) - Final: Monfils 6-2 6-4

Monfils and Auger-Aliassime have faced each other twice on the men's tour, with each player winning one match.

The Frenchman defeated the player 14 years his junior in the 2020 title match in Rotterdam, but Auger-Aliassime took the victory in the round robin of the Laver Cup three years later.

Since previous encounters were played on indoor hard courts, Friday's match will be the first time both men meet outside those conditions.

We say: Auger-Aliassime to win in three sets

Monfils is rarely more dangerous than when he is playing for a crowd, and the Frenchman could harness that energy to push for a deciding set.

However, Auger-Aliassime’s recent consistency on the hard courts of Dubai indicates he will possess too much firepower for the veteran Frenchman, whose record against top-10 players leaves much to be desired.