Montreal R1 previews and predictions: Wawrinka vs. Dimitrov, Struff vs. Tsonga

Familiar foes Stan Wawrinka and Grigor Dimitrov will engage in a blockbuster first-round matchup at the Montreal Masters on Monday. A jam-packed schedule also features Jan-Lennard Struff and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

Stan Wawrinka vs. Grigor Dimitrov

Wawrinka and Dimitrov will be squaring off for the 10th time in their careers when they meet again in round one of the Rogers Cup on Monday afternoon. The head-to-head series stands at 5-4 in favor of Wawrinka, who has won three in a row–all at the Grand Slam level–dating back to the summer of 2018. He triumphed at Wimbledon in four sets followed by straight-set victories at the U.S. Open and most recently at this year’s French Open.

Having not taken the court since losing to Reilly Opelka 8-6 in the fifth set during second-round action at the All-England Club, Wawrinka has played only four matches since his Roland Garros quarterfinal setback against Roger Federer. As such, the 21st-ranked Swiss may not be at very best–but he may not have to be. Dimitrov is just 12-13 this season, including a dreadful 1-5 dating back to his French Open match against Wawrinka. The 34-year-old has the Bulgarian’s number right now and nothing suggests anything different will transpire on Monday.

Pick: Wawrinka in 2

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Jan-Lennard Struff vs. (WC) Jo-Wilfried Tsonga

At 29 years old, Struff is enjoying bar far his best season on tour. The late-blooming German peaked at a career-high of No. 33 in the world last month and currently registers at 55th. He is 25-18 on the main tour in 2019 (including 5-2 at the last two majors) but endured an inauspicious return to hard courts by losing right away in Washington, D.C. to Jordan Thompson.

Up first for Struff in Montreal on Monday is Tsonga, who leads the head-to-head series 3-1. The 34-year-old Frenchman is coming off back-to-back tournaments in which he won multiple matches (fell to Rafael Nadal in the Wimbledon third round and to Kyle Edmund in the Washington, D.C. third round after ousting No. 2 seed Karen Khachanov). Although no longer in his prime, Tsonga is far more talented than his 70th ranking suggests and he is benefiting from a rare clean bill of health at the moment.

Pick: Tsonga in 3

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