Washington, D.C. champion Sebastian Korda is right back in action in Montreal, and he will face fellow American Taylor Fritz on Thursday. Karen Khachanov and Matteo Arnaldi are also taking the court for round two.
Sebastian Korda vs. (9) Taylor Fritz
The battle to be the highest-ranked American at the end of the year is most definitely on. Tommy Paul is currently 12th, Fritz is 13th, Ben Shelton is 14th, and Korda is 18th. All four are between ninth and 20th in the live race to Turin. A head-to-head showdown between Fritz and Korda in round two of the National Bank Open on Thursday could end up being a factor, especially if the winner parlays it into a deep run. Fritz has won both of their previous encounters–7-6(4), 7-5 at the 2022 Monte-Carlo Masters and 6-3, 6-4 this spring in Rome.
Korda will be hard pressed to turn the tide, but not because he is out of form. The story is quite the opposite; he captured a 500-point title in Washington, D.C. on Sunday and is therefore forced to make a quick turnaround in Montreal. Korda caught a break when Vasek Pospisil retired just three games into their first-round match on Wednesday, but fatigue could still be a factor. Meanwhile, Fritz is an awesome 37-14 this season and maintained momentum by winning doubles bronze with Paul at the Paris Olympics. The ninth seed disposed of Mariano Navone 6-4, 6-1 on Wednesday and looks poised to make serious noise this week.
Pick: Fritz in 3
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Matteo Arnaldi vs. (16) Karen Khachanov
Khachanov and Arnaldi will be squaring off for the first time in their careers on Thursday. It projects to be a nice upset opportunity for Arnaldi, who is a respectable 21-18 for his 2024 campaign and comes in at No. 46 in the world. The Italian opened in Montreal with a 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 victory over Mackenzie McDonald.
Perhaps the best news for Arnaldi is that Khachanov is mired in a dreadful slump. The 22nd-ranked Russian is a horrendous 3-6 in his last nine matches dating back to the Rome Masters, including a disastrous blown two-set lead against Jozef Kovalik in round two of the French Open. Khachanov did well to defeat Gabriel Diallo 6-4, 6-4 on Tuesday, but it’s hard to look past a terrible 6-2, 6-4 setback at the hands of Seongchan Hong in his opening match at last week’s Washington, D.C. tournament. Arnaldi should really be the favorite in this one.
Pick: Arnaldi in 3
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WWW?
Korda has Big Mo on his side…in 3; and Arnaldi in straight.