Scout Report
Scouting Report: Rune, Felix, Murray compete in Montpellier
An executive summary of what every fan needs to know for the week ahead
January 28, 2024
Pete Staples/Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour
Holger Rune, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Andy Murray will compete in Montpellier next week.
By ATP staff
The ATP Tour moves to Europe for the first time this season this week at the Open Sud de France – Montpellier, an ATP 250 indoor event. Holger Rune, Andy Murray and Felix Auger-Aliassime are among the headliners in action.
ATPTour.com looks at five must-sees from the south of France.
1) Top Rune: The 20-year-old Dane will aim to bounce back from his disappointing second-round exit at the Australian Open when he leads the field in Montpellier. Rooney is making his second appearance at the tournament, having reached the semi-finals last year. Earlier this season he reached the final in Brisbane.
2) French lead Cazaux, Monfils, Gasquet: Arthur Cazaux, who defeated Rune in Melbourne, will make his home debut. The 21-year-old made waves at the Australian Open, where he advanced to the fourth round. Gael Monfils will also be in action. The 37-year-old has fond memories of Montpellier, where he lifted the trophy in 2010, 2014 and 2020.
Like Monfils, Richard Gasquet is a three-time champion in Montpellier, triumphing in 2013, 2015 and 2016. The 37-year-old is chasing his first tournament-level match win of the season this week.
There are 11 Frenchmen in the draw, excluding the qualifiers.
3) Can Felix Build on AO run? Auger-Aliassime won the title in Basel last October but has struggled overall in 2023, holding a 23-18 record on the season. However, the Canadian arrives off the back of a third round in Melbourne, and will be hoping to build momentum in Montpellier, where he is making his second appearance.
4) Murray in action: Can 46-time tour-level champion Murray add more tour-level trophies to his collection before he hangs up his racket? The 36-year-old’s last ATP Tour title success came in Antwerp in 2019, but the Scot will look to change that this week in Montpellier.
5) Doumbia/Reboul lead double field: Frenchmen Sadio Doumbia and Fabien Reboul headline the doubles draw, with singles stars Alexander Bublik and Alexander Shevchenko teaming up. Julian Cash pairs with Robert Galloway and Lloyd Glasspool teams with Henry Patten.