Stan Wawrinka vs Arthur Cazaux Prediction 1/27/25 Montpellier Open Tennis Picks

That was the Australian Open where Wawrinka fell in the opening round to eventual quarterfinalist Lorenzo Sonego in four sets.

Wawrinka has won 16 career titles at the top level including three Grand Slams, but his last title triumph on the ATP Tour was back in 2017. 

The Swiss one-hander will turn 40 in March and is coming off a 12-20 record in 2024. The last time he contested an ATP final was in Umag in 2023 where he lost to Alexei Popyrin in the final.

Arthur Cazaux Preview

Arthur Cazaux broke into the top 100 last year shortly after he won the Noumea Challenger. It was his third title at that level.

The Frenchman has since been a regular fixture on the ATP Tour, finishing with 10 wins and 14 losses on the main tour.

Cazaux is now ranked 78th in the world rankings which is a few spots below his best ranking of No. 63. He has competed in three tournaments this season, all in Australia.

Cazaux lost his first match to Dusan Lajovic in Brisbane in straight sets, but picked up wins in Adelaide over Adam Walton and at the Australian Open over Sebastian Baez. 

So the 22-year-old owns a 2-3 record for the season. This will be his second main draw appearance in Montpellier.

Stan Wawrinka vs Arthur Cazaux Head-To-Head

• Wawrinka and Cazaux have no previous history. This will be their first meeting on the ATP Tour.

Stan Wawrinka vs Arthur Cazaux Prediction

There is a significant age gap here as soon-to-be 40-year-old Wawrinka takes on 22-year-old fast-rising Frenchman Cazaux. Wawrinka has opted to head to Europe for the indoor hard court swing instead of the South American clay. That makes sense as at this stage of his career, he just doesn't possess the endurance of his former self and the fast hard courts can help him prolong his career. He's up against a talented shot-maker in Cazaux, who impressed during his debut appearance in Montpellier last year, losing to Auger-Aliassime 7-6 in the third.

Wawrinka is still capable of summoning flashes of brilliance in an odd day as demonstrated on this surface at the backend of last year with that semifinal run in Stockholm. I think there's still magic in those hands to perform here after a restful fortnight.