With no Novak Djokovic or Rafael Nadal in the field at the National Bank Open, Daniil Medvedev is the odds-on favorite to capture the title.
It may not be an easy path through the draw, however.
Following a first-round bye as the No. 1 seed, Medvedev’s first match could come against none other than Wimbledon runner-up and current Washington, D.C. semifinalist Nick Kyrgios. That showdown will become a reality if Kyrgios gets past Sebastian Baez in round one.
Also in the top quarter of the bracket are Hubert Hurkacz, Grigor Dimitrov, Diego Schwartzman, Denis Shapovalov, Stan Wawrinka, and recent Atlanta champion Alex de Minaur. For a second straight tournament, Hurkacz could face Emil Ruusuvuori in his opening match. Ruusuvuori upset the Pole right away in Washington, D.C. earlier this week.
A much less notable second section includes the likes of Casper Ruud, Felix Auger-Aliassime, and Cameron Norrie. With Ruud not at his best on hard courts and Auger-Aliassime not in peak form, Norrie may be able to build on his run to the Los Cabos final (playing against Medvedev on Saturday night).
At the bottom of the bracket, Alcaraz is seeded second and on a collision course with Andrey Rublev for the quarterfinals. The fourth-ranked Spaniard was present at Friday’s draw ceremony.
“At the moment everything is going well,” Alcaraz assured. “I like the weather; I like the court; at the moment I’m feeling great. I saw the draw, but just the first [match]. Every opponent is tough, so it’s going to be a really tough first [match]. I’m going to enjoy the first time here. Every time that I come to a city or a tournament (for the first time), I enjoy it a lot. It’s something new for me.”
Stefanos Tsitsipas, Jannik Sinner, and Matteo Berrettini are potential semifinal foes for Alcaraz. There are five qualifiers in the Tsitsipas section, so right now it looks like the Greek along with Sinner and Berrettini may have smooth sailing through their quarter–but that could change depending on how the qualifier placement shakes out.
First-round matchups to watch at the Montreal Masters include Kyrgios vs. Baez, Shapovalov vs. De Minaur, Norrie vs. Brandon Nakashima, Taylor Fritz vs. Andy Murray, Alexander Bublik vs. Jenson Brooksby, and Miomir Kecmanovic vs. Botic van de Zandschulp.
who ya got?