Andy Murray lands Gael Monfils in first round of Aix-en-Provence Challenger event

Andy Murray will look to bounce back from his chastening first-round defeat at the Madrid Masters last week by taking part in a Challenger event in Aix-en-Provence.
Andy Murray suffered defeat against Andrea Vavassori in Madrid last week.Andy Murray suffered defeat against Andrea Vavassori in Madrid last week.
Andy Murray suffered defeat against Andrea Vavassori in Madrid last week.

The 35-year-old Scot is seeded fifth for the event in the south of France. In what is a loaded field containing some of the early exits from Madrid, Murray – currently ranked 52 in the world – will take on home favourite Gael Monfils on either Tuesday or Wednesday. The Frenchman’s ranking has slipped down to 322 but is a talented player, especially on clay, and will provide a stern test for the three-time Grand Slam champion.

Murray was considering ending his clay-court season after his loss and performance against Italian qualifier Andrea Vavassori when losing in straight sets and another poor performance this week may force him to call it quits on the French Open.

Australian Open semi-finalist Tommy Paul is top seed in Aix, with Murray set to play Albert Ramos or Laurent Lokoli should he overcome Monfils.