Tuesday's Matches to Watch: Goffin v. Monfils; Bertens v. Giorgi

*ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament, Rotterdam, First Round

Gael Monfils (FRA) – UTR 15.48, ATP No. 33

David Goffin (BEL) – UTR 15.48, ATP No. 21*

You'll be hard-pressed to find a first-round matchup with as much natural talent as this one. Goffin and Monfils make professional tennis look way too easy. While the Belgian owns a 3-1 head-to-head record over the Frenchman, this is their first meeting on an indoor hard court. The two also boast the exact same UTR rating. You can understand the Vegas oddsmakers' decision to list this match as a pick’em.

Dig a little deeper, though, and you'll discover a more agreeable story. Monfils has a three-month trending UTR of 15.67, compared to Goffin’s 15.45. Goffin also owns a subpar 2-3 record in 2019, with losses to both Filip Krajinovic and Ricardas Berankis. Monfils, after a second-round exit at the Australian Open, made a run to the semifinals of the indoor hard-court tournament in Sofia.

If both players are in top form, fans will be in for a wonderful early-morning treat. Look for Monfils to continue his strong start to the season and take out the diminutive Belgian.

Qatar Total Open, Doha, First Round
*Kiki Bertens (NED) - UTR 13.16, WTA No. 8

Camila Giorgi (ITA) - UTR 13.16, WTA No. 28*

Camila Giorgi is one of those players that nobody wants to play. At her peak, she can blow you off the court. But even if she's misfiring, she gives you no rhythm to work with. Giorgi always plays tennis on her terms.

On the other side of the court, Bertens, ranked No. 8 in the world and fresh off a title in St. Petersburg, is playing the best tennis of her career.

This match has the makings of a classic three-setter. Look for Giorgi to blast her way to a first-set victory. The quick conditions in Doha will help the Italian’s extremely hard and flat groundstrokes, and it will take some time for Bertens to get settled. After withstanding the Italian's barrage, I expect Bertens to dig deep and prevail in a hard-hitting, entertaining first-round matchup.

ATP Rotterdam (Mon - Sun 2/11 - 2/17)

•    See Marin Cilic, Kei Nishikori, Karen Khachanov and Stefanos Tsitsipas live on Tennis Channel Plus beginning Monday 2/11 at 6:30 am ET.

ATP New York (Mon - Sun 2/11 - 2/17)

•    Watch Frances Tiafoe, John Isner and Alex de Minaur live from New York starting Monday 2/11 at 11:00 am ET

WTA Doha (Mon - Sat 2/11 - 2/16)

•    Starting Monday 2/11 at 7:30 am ET, catch live coverage of the Qatar Total Open featuring Simona Halep, Karolina Pliskova and Angelique Kerber.

ATP Buenos Aires (Mon - Sun 2/11 - 2/17)

•    Catch the action from the Argentina Open including Dominic Thiem, Fabio Fognini and Diego Schwartzman. Live coverage begins on Tennis Channel Plus on Monday 2/11 at 12:30 pm ET

USTA College Match Day 3 Lake Nona - (Sat - 2/16)

•    Tennis Channel Plus features live coverage of USTA College Matches in Lake Nona on Saturday 2/16 4:00 pm ET